High temperature vacuum atmosphere tube furnace

High temperature vacuum atmosphere tube furnace is a high-temperature heating equipment that combines vacuum environment control and atmosphere regulation functions. Its core advantage lies in controlling the “temperature atmosphere vacuum degree” three in one parameter, which is widely used in materials science, metallurgy, chemical industry, semiconductor, aerospace and other fields. Let’s take a detailed look at the high-temperature vacuum atmosphere tube furnace below!

Commonly used gas tube furnaces (click on the image to view product details)

1. Technical principles and core structure
heating system
Heating element: Using silicon molybdenum rod, silicon carbon rod or resistance wire, high temperature heating is achieved through current Joule heating (usually up to 1200 ℃ -1800 ℃).
Furnace tube material: commonly used high-temperature resistant ceramic tubes (such as corundum tubes) or quartz tubes. The former has strong chemical corrosion resistance, while the latter is transparent and easy to observe the sample.
Heat transfer method: Combining heat conduction (heating element → furnace tube → sample), heat convection (gas circulation inside the furnace), and heat radiation (heating element transfers heat in the form of electromagnetic waves) to ensure temperature uniformity (temperature difference can be controlled within ± 5 ℃).

vacuum system
Vacuum pump configuration: The rotary vane pump is used for low vacuum (10 ⁻¹ -10 ⁻² Pa), and the molecular pump is used for high vacuum (below 10 ⁻⁴ Pa), meeting the high cleanliness requirements for semiconductor material preparation.
Sealing design: Fluororubber O-ring or metal sealing ring is used to ensure stable vacuum degree of the furnace body at high temperature and prevent gas leakage.

Atmosphere control system
Gas supply: Control the flow rate of inert gases (such as nitrogen, argon), reducing gases (such as hydrogen), or mixed gases through a mass flow meter (MFC).
Atmosphere switching: Supports rapid switching between vacuum and gas environments, such as metal annealing under nitrogen protection or catalyst reduction in hydrogen atmosphere.

Temperature Control System
Sensors and controllers: high-precision thermocouples (such as N-type and S-type) and PID controllers are used to achieve precise control of heating rate and insulation time, supporting multi-stage programmed heating (such as 30 stage programmable control).
Data recording: Equipped with a touch screen or PLC system, real-time display of temperature curves and storage of experimental data for subsequent analysis.

2. Core functional features
Dual control of vacuum and atmosphere
Vacuuming can isolate air and prevent sample oxidation (such as metal heat treatment); Introducing specific gases can create a protective or reactive atmosphere (such as hydrogen reducing metal oxides).

High temperature stability and uniformity
Can stably maintain high temperatures above 1000 ℃, with some models reaching 1800 ℃, suitable for ceramic sintering, metal melting and other processes; The combination of tubular structure and hot air circulation system ensures uniform temperature distribution inside the furnace.

Sample processing flexibility
Suitable for processing small batch samples (such as powders, flakes, and wires), and the transparent design of the furnace tube facilitates observation of the sample status; Horizontal structure optimizes the heat conduction path and reduces energy consumption.

safety performance
Equipped with temperature protection, gas leak detection, pressure protection and other devices, especially when using flammable and explosive gases (such as hydrogen), can reduce safety risks.

3. Typical application scenarios
Material sintering and preparation
Ceramic materials: Sintering non oxide ceramics such as silicon nitride and silicon carbide in an inert atmosphere to avoid high-temperature oxidation.
Composite materials: Prepare metal based composite materials in a reducing atmosphere (such as hydrogen nitrogen mixture) to prevent substrate oxidation.

heat treatment process
Vacuum annealing: Vacuum annealing is performed on precision metal parts such as bearings and cutting tools to eliminate internal stress and maintain surface smoothness.
Atmosphere quenching: Quenching steel in a specific gas atmosphere to control the thickness of the surface oxide layer and improve hardness uniformity.

Semiconductor and Electronics Industry
Wafer processing: High temperature doping and oxidation of silicon wafers in vacuum or inert atmosphere to ensure surface cleanliness.
Electronic ceramics: When sintering piezoelectric ceramics and ferrite cores, the direction of grain growth is adjusted through atmosphere control to optimize electrical properties.

Aerospace material testing
Simulate harsh environments: Test the high-temperature stability and thermal shock resistance of spacecraft materials in vacuum or low-pressure atmospheres.
Coating performance verification: Conduct atmosphere aging tests on high-temperature protective coatings (such as antioxidant coatings) to evaluate their service life.

4. Key considerations for selection
temperature range
Select according to material processing requirements (such as selecting below 1200 ℃ for general metal heat treatment and above 1600 ℃ for ceramic sintering), and reserve a safety margin (equipment nominal temperature is 100-200 ℃ higher than experimental temperature).

Vacuum degree and atmosphere type
For ordinary vacuum requirements, a rotary vane pump system (10 ⁻³ Pa) is available, while for high vacuum requirements, a molecular pump (10 ⁻⁴ Pa) is required; When dealing with flammable and explosive gases, it is necessary to confirm the explosion-proof design of the equipment.

Furnace tube size
Select the pipe diameter (such as 50mm~200mm) and length according to the sample size to ensure that the sample can be uniformly heated and the atmosphere can circulate.

temperature control accuracy
For temperature sensitive experiments (such as semiconductor doping), high-precision models within ± 15 ℃ should be selected, and general experiments can be relaxed to ± 10 ℃.

Brand and after-sales service
Choose professional manufacturers with production qualifications, product inspection reports, and qualification certificates, and prioritize suppliers who provide 12-month warranty and lifetime warranty (excluding vulnerable parts) to ensure long-term technical support and accessory supply.

Large diameter vacuum tube furnace (click on the picture to view product details)

Overall, as a commonly used equipment for heat treatment, high-temperature vacuum atmosphere tube furnaces have numerous advantages. Before selecting, it is necessary to communicate the parameters with relevant technical personnel in order to customize a vacuum atmosphere tube furnace that is more suitable for one’s own experiment or production!Click to learn more tube furnaces! Or click on online customer service to learn more about product information!