[labnetwork] UPS for high-vac tools

[Alizadeh, Hossein]

Thank you all for the insightful and helpful feedback. I learned a lot.
To answer a couple of questions: the building does have an emergency generator that kicks in within seconds, but that delay is too long for our more sensitive equipment( SEMS, FIB, XRD) It looks like we'll need to go with double-conversion UPS units for those tools. Also, for context and since the $40K price tag was mentioned in a couple of emails, we received a quote for a 3.6 kVA wide-input voltage double-conversion unit at around $13K. The output power is sufficient for the SEM and FIB, but not for the TEM or EBL.
Thanks again to everyone for chiming in.
Best,
Hossein

---------------------------------------------
Hossein Alizadeh, PhD.
Technical Director,
Photonics Center, Boston University
halizade at bu.edu
617-353-0632

________________________________
From: Jing Guo <jg78 at rice.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 1:52 PM
To: Alizadeh, Hossein <halizade at bu.edu>
Cc: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: [labnetwork] UPS for high-vac tools

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Hi Hossein,

To make it simple, our facility purchased several UPS units to protect our instruments like XRD, TEM etc from unplanned power interruptions last year. Those UPS units easily costs ~$40k/unit with ~ 18KVA capacity. It should be able to support the system for several minutes. The warranty should be at least 5 yrs. The life time should be also around 10yrs. Our Ebeam litho (EBL) system is running with a UPS since the installation. The EBL will perform a shutdown procedure if it starts to switch to the UPS after the power outage.


Best,
Jing
---------------------------------------
Jing Guo Ph.D.
Cleanroom Manager/Research Scientist
SEA Cleanroom (SST 017)
Rice University
Houston, TX
jeanne.guo at rice.edu
713-348-8227

On Oct 20, 2025, at 10:56 AM, Alizadeh, Hossein <halizade at bu.edu> wrote:

Hi everyone,
We recently experienced a power outage that caused damage to several of our high-vac systems. We’re now considering installing UPS units for some of our more sensitive tools (etchers, SEMs, TEM) One key question is whether to use double-conversion UPS systems or opt for less expensive alternatives.
If you have experience using UPS systems with these types of instruments, I’d appreciate any recommendations, guidance, or brand suggestions you’ve found reliable. Your input would be helpful as we evaluate the best option for our needs.
Best,
Hossein

---------------------------------------------
Hossein Alizadeh, PhD.
Technical Director,
Photonics Center, Boston University
halizade at bu.edu<mailto:halizade at bu.edu>
617-353-0632

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