Traceability to SI units for vacuum measurement in industrial applications

In the context of international standards like the ISO 9000 series or ISO 17025 the traceability of measurement instruments of physical units in industrial processes gained more importance in the last two decades, so to say also for vacuum measurement. Traceable calibrations of vacuum gauges ensure agreement with the SI units. For this purpose vacuum primary standards are needed. The international system of metrology ensures that the vacuum primary standards registered in the system are equivalent and fulfill their specifications. Secondary and reference standards are used to disseminate the pressure scale in vacuum to calibration laboratories, to the manufacturers of gauges, and finally to industrial processes or to research facilities. Suitable vacuum gauges for this purpose including their expected measurement uncertainties will be described. Notes for the measurement uncertainties at the place of the end user will be given.

► State of the art primary standards for vacuum pressures providing traceability of to the SI.
► How the international quality assurance of national vacuum standards is provided.
► Vacuum gauges suitable as reference standards.
► Measurement uncertainties with vacuum gauges.