Evacuating flat glass panels

A method of evacuating flat glass panels through a small pumpout tube is de scribed. In order to avoid breakage, the end of this pumpout tube, which is located outside a bakeout oven, has to be mounted in an O-ring fitting, wh ich exerts little force on the tube during evacuation and bakeout. This is achieved first by allowing axial movement of the tube within the O-ring fit ting, and second by attaching the vacuum fitting to a bracket, which in tur n is fixed to a metal vacuum cup on the glass panel inside the oven. This m ethod has several advantages over conventional evacuation techniques, inclu ding enabling the pumpout tube to be situated in a protected location in th e edge of the glass panel, and permitting the panel to be baked at high tem peratures. (C) 2000 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-2101(00)04203-2].