Why Cold Cathode Gauges Are Preferred in Harsh Coating Environments Physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), sputtering, and other thin-film coating processes create some of the most demanding vacuum environments in industry. Reactive gases, high plasma densities, sputtered material, and frequent chamber venting combine to accelerate gauge contamination and sensor degradation. In these

Choosing Vacuum Gauges for Plasma Etching Systems Plasma etching systems, including reactive ion etching (RIE) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) tools, require precise vacuum measurement to maintain stable plasma density, etch rate uniformity, and process repeatability. Operating pressures typically fall between 10⁻¹ and 10⁻⁴ Torr, with reactive gases such as CF₄, SF₆, O₂, and Cl₂