Controlling of material analysers of the GD-OES type with help of pump-down curves

• Published in: Vacuum Vol. 84; no. 2; pp. 299 - 303
• Main Authors: Klemm, Denis, Hoffmann, Volker, Edelmann, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 18.09.2009
• Subjects: Chambers; Desorption; Devices; Emission analysis; Evaluation; Film thickness; GD-OES; GDOS; GDS; Glow discharges; Pump curves; Pumping; Purity; Spectrometers; Pump curves; GDOS; Evaluation; Desorption; GD-OES; GDS
• ISSN: 0042-207X; 1879-2715
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vacuum.2009.06.058

Today, material analysis in industry and research centres is very often performed by the glow-discharge optical emission spectrometry (GD-OES), which allows an extraordinarily quick material analysis (average time of analysis: 2–5 min) and a determination mainly by the pumping time of the glow discharge source. The reliability of the analysis is, especially in the case of thin films (film thickness <100 nm), determined by the purity of the discharge gas and of the surface of the source and sample. We could reduce the ultimate pressure and increase the purity of the gas at the place of analysis by improving the dimensions and construction of the pumping set, and the conduction of the pumping and venting process of a given commercial spectrometer device. Moreover, an automatic and computer-aided evaluation of the pressure vs. time run in the source chamber can inform the user about possible leaks or contamination of inner surfaces. For this purpose, it is possible to use the control computer of commercial equipment and the data acquisition system of the GD-OES instrument. Thus, one can receive important hints from the p– t plot regarding the equipment and can start leak detection, cleaning of the source chamber or replacing of components in time.