Ion Pump An ion pump is a vacuum pump, where the pumped out gas is subjected to extensive ionization, and the positively charged ions that are formed as a result are removed by an electric field. The operation of ion pumps is based on ionization of gases by a strong electric discharge and removal of ionized molecules with the help of an electric field. This method is not widely popular due to the complexity of the device and high consumption power primarily that is primarily used to generate a magnetic field. Under room temperature inert gases and hydrocarbons are virtually not consumed by evaporated metal films. They are removed by combined getter-ion and ion-sorption pumps, where the sorption of reactive gases is combined with the ion pumping of inert gases and hydrocarbons. The absorption surface is renewed by settling of thermally evaporated titanium on the walls, as well as through cathode sputtering of titanium in an electric discharge or magnetic field in electric-discharge or magnetic-discharge ion-sorption pumps. At forepumping of up to 10-2 N/sq. m (10-4 mm of mercury), ion-sorption vacuum pumps create vacuum of up to 10-5 N/sq.m (10-7 mm of mercury). The pumping speed depends on the nature of the gas. For example, the pumping speed for hydrogen would be 5000 l/sec, nitrogen - 2000 l/sec, argon - 50 l/sec. The use of ion pumps facilitated development of both, the vacuum and semiconductor electronics, and up until today remains one of the most popular devices in <b>...</b>