Vacuum Generators Ltd RGA Head Residual Gas Analyzer Quadrupole Mass

Vacuum Generators Ltd RGA Head Residual Gas Analyzer Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

This is a residual gas analyzer (RGA) sensor head manufactured by Vacuum Generators Ltd of Hastings, England. An RGA head is the vacuum-side sensing probe of a quadrupole mass spectrometer system — it ionizes gas molecules present in a vacuum chamber and separates them by mass-to-charge ratio so the partial pressures of individual gas species can be measured. This head mounts directly into a vacuum system via its UHV-compatible stainless steel flange and connects to a separate RGA electronics controller unit via BNC and D-sub interface connectors on the end cap.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Vacuum Generators Ltd, Hastings, England
• Type: Residual gas analyzer (RGA) head — quadrupole mass spectrometer sensor
• Body construction: Stainless steel cylindrical housing
• Vacuum interface: UHV-compatible bolt-circle flange (stainless steel)
• Gas inlet: Brass Swagelok-style compression fitting valve at top of probe
• Electrical connectors (end cap): 3x BNC connectors + 1x D-sub multi-pin connector (blue)
• Internal assembly: Quadrupole ion optics visible — ceramic rod supports, metal electrode plates, copper interconnect wiring, ion source/detector assembly
• Included: RGA sensor head only
• Not included: RGA electronics controller, interface cables, vacuum flanges or fittings

Applications

Residual gas analyzers are standard tools in high-vacuum and ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) science and industry. They are used to identify and quantify gas species remaining in an evacuated chamber — detecting leaks, monitoring outgassing, verifying chamber cleanliness, and characterizing the vacuum environment before sensitive processes begin. Vacuum Generators Ltd (VG) was a pioneering British vacuum science company based in Hastings, East Sussex, that was highly regarded in the surface science, thin film, and semiconductor research communities from the 1960s through the 1990s. VG instruments were widely deployed in university physics and chemistry departments, national laboratories, and industrial R&D facilities worldwide. Their RGA heads were designed for use with VG's own electronics controllers and quadrupole mass spectrometer systems (such as the SX series and related platforms), and were commonly integrated into surface analysis systems, deposition chambers, ion beam systems, and electron microscope vacuum columns. Today, RGA equipment of this type continues to be used for legacy UHV system maintenance and repair, as well as by researchers and vacuum engineers who maintain or restore older VG-based apparatus. Buyers typically include vacuum system integrators, surface science labs, and collectors of vintage UHV instrumentation.