Analysis of molecular contamination in vacuum environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719969-B2
Application number	US-201615164278-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2016
Priority date	Oct 25, 2010
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A pre-concentration device is provided for a gas analysis system ( 10 ) for collecting molecular contamination in a vacuum environment ( 11 ). The pre-concentration device ( 13 ) comprises a hollow element ( 15 ) having an entrance opening ( 20 ) for receiving molecules from the vacuum environment ( 11 ) in a collection phase, a gas outlet for transferring collected molecules to a vacuum compatible detector or second preconcentration device in a transfer phase. The device has an inner wall for adsorbing molecules in the collection phase and desorbing molecules in the transfer phase. The device has a filler element ( 14 ) that is movable from a first position outside the hollow element in the collection phase to a second position inside the hollow element in the transfer phase which second position leaves open a transfer channel to the gas outlet along the inner wall. Advantageously, the device enables transferring of the organic or inorganic contaminants collected in the device under vacuum conditions, and requires a minimal amount of ultra pure gas for the transport of the contaminants to a detector or further a concentration device, which lowers the lower limit of detection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of providing a pre-concentration device for use in detecting molecular contamination in a gas analysis system in a vacuum environment, the method comprising:
providing a hollow element having a gas entrance opening for receiving gas from a vacuum environment in a collection phase;
providing an inner wall for adsorbing the gas onto the inner wall in the collection phase, and desorbing the gas from the inner wall in a transfer phase;
providing a gas outlet for transferring the gas in the transfer phase, and
providing a filler element that is movable from a first position outside the hollow element in the collection phase to a second position inside the hollow element in the transfer phase which second position leaves open a transfer channel to the gas outlet along the inner wall;
wherein the hollow element has an inner space bounded by the inner wall, and the inner space has a conical shape, and the filler element has a shape corresponding to the conical shape of the inner space such that, in the second position, the transfer channel is formed between the filler element and the inner wall.

2. A method of operating a pre-concentration device for use in detecting molecular contamination in a gas analysis system in a vacuum environment, the method comprising:
receiving a gas from a vacuum environment into a hollow element having a gas entrance opening, in a collection phase;
adsorbing gas on an inner wall in the collection phase;
desorbing gas from the inner wall in a transfer phase; and
transferring the gas into a gas outlet of the hollow element, in the transfer phase;
moving a filler element from a first position outside the hollow element in the collection phase to a second position inside the hollow element in the transfer phase which second position leaves open a transfer channel to the gas outlet along the inner wall.

3. A method of operating a pre-concentrating device in a vacuum environment for use in detecting a molecular contamination in a gas analysis system, the method comprising:
in a pre-concentration device:
positioning a filler element in a first position outside a hollow element in a collection phase;
receiving a gas via a gas entrance opening from a vacuum environment and adsorbing the gas on an inner wall in the collection phase;
moving the filler element to a second position inside a hollow element in a transfer phase which second position leaves open a transfer channel to the gas outlet along the inner wall; and
desorbing gas in the transfer phase from the inner wall and transferring the gas to a gas outlet in the transfer phase.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following list of acts:
cooling the inner wall of the pre-concentration device or the filler element in the collection phase; and
heating the inner wall of the pre-concentration device or the filler element to release the gas from the inner wall in the transfer phase.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following list of acts:
gas chromatography analysis of the released gas for determining the molecular contamination;
mass spectrometry analysis of the released gas for determining the molecular contamination; and
element selective detection analysis of the released gas for determining the molecular contamination.

6. The method of claim 4 , comprising at least one of the following list of acts of:
gas chromatography analysis of the released gas for determining the molecular contamination;
mass spectrometry analysis of the released gas for determining the molecular contamination; and
element selective detection analysis of the released gas for determining the molecular contamination.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hollow element has an inner space bounded by the inner wall.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the inner space has a conical shape.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the filler element has a shape corresponding to the conical shape of the inner space such that, in the second position, the transfer channel is formed between the filler element and the inner wall.

10. A computer-readable storage-medium that is not a transitory propagating signal or wave, the medium containing control information for controlling a method of operating a pre-concentration device for use in detecting molecular contamination in a gas analysis system in a vacuum environment, the method comprising:
receiving a gas from a vacuum environment into a hollow element having a gas entrance opening, in a collection phase;
adsorbing gas on an inner wall in the collection phase;
desorbing gas from the inner wall in a transfer phase; and
transferring the gas into a gas outlet of the hollow element, in the transfer phase;
moving a filler element from a first position outside the hollow element in the collection phase to a second position inside the hollow element in the transfer phase which second position leaves open a transfer channel to the gas outlet along the inner wall.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Soers Ruud Johannes Theodorus
• Knobel Hugo Hubertus
• De Bokx Pieter Klaas

Classifications

• G01N30/7206

  interfaced to gas chromatograph (interfaces in general for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed with specially adapted mass spectrometer, see H01J49/04) · CPC title

• G01N30/08 Primary

  using an enricher · CPC title

• G01N30/06 Primary

  Preparation · CPC title

• B01D53/025

  with wetted adsorbents; Chromatography (analytical chromatography G01N30/00 - G01N30/96; for liquids B01D15/08) · CPC title

• G01N1/405 Primary

  by adsorption or absorption · CPC title