EP3857589A1

EP3857589A1 - Mass spectrometer and method for analysing a gas by mass spectrometry

Info

Publication number: EP3857589A1
Application number: EP19755321.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Anthony Hin Yiu CHUNG; Thorsten Benter; Michel Aliman; Rüdiger Reuter; Yessica Brachthäuser
Original assignee: Leybold GmbH
Current assignee: Leybold GmbH
Priority date: 2018-09-27
Filing date: 2019-08-12
Publication date: 2021-08-04
Also published as: KR20210062680A; DE102018216623A1; JP2022503960A; US20220005682A1; CN113169028A; US11791147B2; WO2020064201A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a mass spectrometer (1) for analysing a gas (2) by mass spectrometry, comprising: a controllable inlet system (6) for pulsed feeding of the gas (2) to be analysed from a process region (4) outside the mass spectrometer (1) into an ionisation region (11), an ionisation device (14) for ionising the gas (2) to be analysed in the ionisation region (11), an ion transfer device (21) for transferring the ionised gas (2a) from the ionisation region (11) via an ion transfer region (20) into an analysis region (25), and an analyser (26) for detecting the ionised gas (2a) in the analysis region (25). The invention further relates to an associated method for mass spectrometrically analysing a gas (2).

Description

Mass spectrometer and method for mass spectrometric analysis of a gas

Reference to related applications

This application claims the priority of German patent application DE 10 2018 216 623.4 dated September 27, 2018, the entire disclosure content of which is made by reference to the content of this application.

Background of the Invention The invention relates to a mass spectrometer for mass spectrometric analysis of a gas. The invention also relates to a method for

mass spectrometric analysis of a gas using a

Mass spectrometer, in particular a mass spectrometer as described above.

The etching of semiconductors (dry etch) is a chemically complex process that uses highly corrosive gases. In order to be able to optimize these processes, one searches for analytical methods, in particular for

Real-time methods to observe the etching process and in this way to be able to draw conclusions about the reactions taking place. In addition, it is advantageous to examine the running process with regard to a drift or a deviation from a standard process. It is also of great interest to reach an end point of the etching process by changing the etched material and thus changing the

To recognize reaction products. Similar questions also arise in coating processes. From WO 2013/104583 A2 a device for surface processing (coating or etching treatment) of a substrate has become known, which has a process gas analyzer with an ion trap and with a

Ionizing device for ionizing a gaseous component of a residual gas atmosphere, which in a chamber for the

Surface treatment of the substrate is arranged. Of the

Process gas analyzer can have a controllable inlet for the pulsed supply of the gaseous component to be detected. The ionization device is connected upstream of the controllable inlet. The ionized

Gas components can be fed to the process gas analyzer or ion trap via a feed device e.g. in the form of ion optics, possibly in combination with a vacuum tube.

Corrosive, highly corrosive gases are also often used or produced in process chemistry, which have to be measured during the manufacture of a product or during quality control. Mass spectrometers with a pulsed inlet, as described in WO 2013/104583 A2, are advantageous for the analysis of such corrosive gas mixtures with long service life requirements and at the same time high sensitivity. The pulsed gas inlet can be combined with different types of analyzers / detectors or mass spectrometers which are both pulsed and operated continuously, for example quadrupole mass spectrometers, triple quadrupole mass spectrometers,

Time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF), scanning

ion trap mass spectrometer and FT (Fourier transforms) -

Mass spectrometers, in particular FT-IT (ion trap) mass spectrometers, such as linear ion traps (LIT), 3D quadrupole ion traps

(quadrupole ion trap, QIT), orbit rape, ... When analyzing corrosive gases, the gas flow from the process to the analyzer should be as low as possible to prevent damage to the To minimize analyzer, in which the ionized gas is detected. This contrasts with the requirement that you want to bring as much gas as possible into the analyzer in order to achieve good sensitivity, because for the

If the analyzer's detection limit is exceeded, a minimum number of analyte ions is required, which in turn are generated from the neutral gas components.

In order to avoid corrosion on the analyzer, one tries to keep the pressure in the area of the analyzer or in the analysis area as low as possible. This is usually achieved by reducing the gas flow into the mass spectrometer to such an extent that the small amount of gas does not cause any significant degradation of the

Analyzer. For this purpose, a spatial

Separation of the ionization in an ionization area and the detection in an analysis area are carried out, the ionization taking place in the ionization area at a higher pressure and the ions being transferred for detection in the analysis area in which the pressure is lower. Even in the event that there is no spatial separation between the

Ionization range and the analysis area takes place because the gas to be examined is ionized directly in the analyzer or in the analysis area, a reduction of the pressure compared to the process pressure is useful, especially if the process pressure is comparatively large. The process pressure here is the pressure in the recipient or in the process area which contains the gas to be analyzed and which is located outside the mass spectrometer.

From WO 2014/118122 A2 it is known to investigate one

To ionize the gas mixture directly in a detector, for example in an ion trap, which contains the gas mixture and ions and / or metastable particles an ionizing gas supplied by a

ionization device, for example a plasma ionization device. WO 2015/003819 A1 also describes a mass spectrometer with an ion trap for the mass spectrometric analysis of a gas mixture and with an ionization device which is designed to ionize the gas to be examined in the ion trap. The

Mass spectrometer can have a controllable inlet for the pulsed supply of the gas mixture to be examined to the ion trap. The

Mass spectrometers can also have a pressure reduction unit with at least one, for example with two, three or more modular pressure stages which can be connected in series, in order to determine the gas pressure of the person to be examined

Reduce gas mixture before it is fed to the ion trap.

A pressure reducing device with a vacuum housing with an inlet opening for the inlet of a gas to be examined at a process pressure and with an analysis space for the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas at a working pressure has become known from DE 10 2014 226 038 A1. The vacuum housing has a plurality of modular vacuum components that can be connected to one another

Pressure reduction rooms. In the area of the inlet opening, a

Modulator for the pulsed supply of the gas to be examined can be arranged in the analysis room. To ionize the gas to be examined, an ionization device can be arranged in the analysis room and / or connected to an analyzer arranged in the analysis room.

In the case of the mass spectrometers described above, in which the gas to be examined is ionized in the analyzer, it is expedient for the pressure to change rapidly, so that the pressure is only briefly high during ionization, which is for example due to the Use of a quickly switching, controllable valve can be achieved via which the gas to be examined is fed into the analyzer. In this case, the inlet of the gas can be controlled by opening and closing the valve.

Many other very sensitive mass spectrometers with fast measuring times such as Quadrupole mass spectrometers, triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers, for example orthogonal acceleration (above) TOF mass spectrometers, ... work with maximum efficiency only in continuous gas inlet operation. It was tried that

to use the latter mass spectrometer also under a corrosive gas environment, but it has been shown that their ion sources were very quickly damaged and made unusable by the corrosive gas. WO 2016/096457 A1 describes a mass spectrometer with a

Described ionization device, in which a chamber for treating the gas to be ionized is arranged between a primary inlet and a secondary inlet for a gas to be ionized. The pressure of the gas to be ionized can be reduced in the chamber. For this purpose, the chamber can be pumped differentially or pumped via a valve (pulsed). Foreign gas suppression can also occur in the chamber

Particle filtering and / or a particle treatment can be carried out in order to convert the gas to be ionized into a composition suitable for supply to the ionization device. Thermal decoupling can also take place in the chamber so that the temperature of the gas entering from the environment in the secondary inlet adjoining the chamber does not exceed a maximum operating temperature. The

Thermal decoupling can be achieved through thermal insulation, passive cooling, active cooling etc. In summary, conventional mass spectrometers with a pulsed gas inlet have a long service life against corrosive gases, but have a moderate speed (repetition rate of approx. 10 Hz) and sensitivity (order of magnitude ppbV (parts per billion by volume)). Conventional

Mass spectrometers with a continuous gas inlet generally have a high speed (repetition rates of up to 10k Hz) and sensitivity (order of magnitude <pptV), but have a short service life in a corrosive environment. Object of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a mass spectrometer which, on the one hand, allows high sensitivity and, on the other hand, a long service life in a corrosive environment.

Subject of the invention

This object is achieved by a mass spectrometer, comprising: a controllable inlet system for the pulsed supply of the gas to be analyzed from a process area outside the mass spectrometer to an ionization area, an ionization device for ionizing the gas to be analyzed in the ionization area

Ion transfer device for transferring the ionized gas from the ionization area via an ion transfer area to an analysis area, and an analyzer for detecting the ionized gas in the

Analysis area (as well as for mass spectrometric analysis of the ionized gas).

In the mass spectrometer according to the invention, a pulsed

Sampling carried out, ie the gas to be analyzed is pulsed from the process area outside the mass spectrometer. Of the The process area can be located, for example, in an interior of a process chamber in which, for example, an etching process

Coating process, cleaning of the process chamber, etc. is carried out.

The controllable inlet system for the gas to be analyzed, the subsequent ion transfer and the detection or analysis of the gas in the analyzer are typically synchronized and carried out periodically. The mass spectrometer points to the synchronization of the

controllable inlet system, the analyzer and the extraction device (see below) usually a control device that enables periodic operation of the mass spectrometer. The inlet system is adapted to the respective ionization and analysis method. Inlet system, ionization method and analysis method thus become an overall system mass spectrometer.

A controllable inlet system is understood to mean that the

Intake system can be switched between at least two states (open / closed). For this purpose, the inlet system can have, for example, a quickly switching, controllable valve.

In particular, the valve can be designed, e.g. assume the open or closed state over a period of approx. 10 ps to> 1 s. The possibility to set the opening time of the valve offers the

Possibility to admit gas into the mass spectrometer only when process-relevant data or measured values can be expected. In the event that the end e.g. of an etching process is already known in advance at what point in time the end point of the

Etching process is achieved. Observation of the etching process for the detection of the end point is therefore only necessary in a small time window in which the controllable valve is opened. In this way, the amount of corrosive gas introduced into the mass spectrometer can be greatly reduced and the gas flow of corrosive gases into the analysis area can be reduced to a minimum.

Depending on the analyzer used, the signal of one type of ion or an entire spectrum with signals of several types of ion can be recorded periodically. Since the sampling rate or

Period is known, the useful signal can be obtained by techniques such as e.g. Lock-in or multi-channel single ion counting can be significantly increased, so that detection or analysis of the gas can be achieved with high sensitivity. Due to the pulsed feed into the ionization area, the mass spectrometer can also be used particularly advantageously for the analysis of gases which have corrosive gas components, as will be described in more detail below. In one embodiment, the controllable intake system

tubular, preferably temperable, replaceable and / or

coated component for supplying the gas to be analyzed in the ionization area. It has proven to be advantageous if the gas to be analyzed is fed into the ionization region via a tubular, in particular tubular component. In contrast to other components of the mass spectrometer, such a component can generally be replaced quickly and inexpensively. For this purpose, the tubular component is typically detachably connected to the ionization device of the mass spectrometer. If necessary, a controllable valve, which is attached to the tubular component, can also be exchanged together with the tubular component. It has also proven to be advantageous if the tubular component can be actively tempered, for example by means of a heating and / or cooling device, for example in the form of a Peltier element. In this way, depending on the process to be monitored or on the analyte in the process area, a suitable temperature can be set in order to condense or decompose the gas to be analyzed or to reduce or induce the gas components to be analyzed in the inlet system.

The same applies to the provision of a coating on the inside of the tubular component: the coating is formed from a material that depends on the process to be monitored or on which one

analyzing gas or gas component is dependent. The material of the

Coating is chosen in such a way that the neutral molecules or atoms of the gas to be analyzed or the corresponding gas components can enter the ionization region as freely as possible without entering into a chemical reaction with the surface on the inside of the tubular component. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to design the surface on the inside of the tubular component or the coating such that a reaction is deliberately induced.

In a further embodiment, the controllable inlet system has a filter device, preferably a tubular component in the form of a

Corrugated hose, in particular made of stainless steel, for filtering at least one corrosive gas component contained in the gas to be analyzed, in particular for filtering (at least) one etching gas. In the case of a process to be monitored in the form of an etching process, it is not absolutely necessary to determine the amount of the actual etching gas, since this is usually fed into the etching process consciously and in a known concentration. It is therefore desirable to prevent or reduce the actual etching gases from entering the mass spectrometer. For this purpose, for example, a (passive) filter in the form of a suitable filter material (absorber) can be used, on which the etching gas accumulates and / or reacts with the etching gas, so that it converts and its etching

Loses effect. An active filter in the form of a gas scrubber, in which the gas to be analyzed is brought into contact with a liquid stream, can also be used for this purpose. An etching gas cannot only in an etching process for etching a substrate or the like

are used, but also for another purpose, for example for cleaning a process chamber in which the process area is formed. A filter effect can already be achieved if the feed line of the controllable inlet is formed from a stainless steel corrugated hose. Since there are typically a large number of components made of stainless steel in the mass spectrometer, the stainless steel in the feed line or on the stainless steel corrugated hose can serve as the sacrificial material, which reacts with the etching gas before it comes into contact with other components of the mass spectrometer. The stainless steel corrugated hose can be unlike others

Components in the mass spectrometer can be replaced quickly and inexpensively. The stainless steel corrugated hose also has a large surface-to-volume ratio, so that little gas can react with a large surface area.

In one embodiment, the inlet system has a controllable component, in particular a controllable valve, which can preferably be switched between a first switching state for the pulsed supply of the gas to be analyzed into the ionization region and a second switching state for the pulsed supply of a carrier gas into the ionization region. The inlet system can basically consist of any number of components. In addition to the switchable component, which can be designed, for example, as a valve, the inlet system typically has a supply line from the recipient to the switchable component and another

Supply line for supplying the gas to be analyzed from the switchable component to the ionization area. Instead of a valve, the switchable component can also be a modulator, for example in the form of a chopper, which generates gas pulses in the form of molecular packets from a continuous molecular beam. The controllable valve is preferably designed as a 3-way valve, which switches between a first switching state for the pulsed supply of the gas to be analyzed into the ionization region and a second one

Switching state for the pulsed supply of a carrier gas in the

Ionization range is switchable. In this case, the (fast) switchable valve is a 3-way valve. In this case, the inlet system has a further feed line in order to feed the carrier gas to the switchable valve in the second switching state. The carrier gas is typically added to the ionization area during the pulse pauses

supplied to the analyzing gas, i.e. whenever that

Ionization range no gas to be analyzed is supplied. In this way, the operating point of the ionization device used can be kept constant. In addition, the carrier gas can produce a positive, purging effect in the ionization area or in an ionization chamber. For example, an inert gas can be used as the carrier gas.

The ionization device basically comprises an ionization chamber for ionizing the analyte, i.e. of the gas to be ionized, and a primary charge generator. The primary charge generator can be, for example, an electron source or a filament for generating electrons, a VUV radiation source, a UV laser source or a plasma generating device for generating ions and electrically excited, metastable particles. The primary charge generator can be coupled directly to the ionization chamber and thus directly to the

Act analytes or indirectly, for example via at least one

Pressure level, in connection with the ionization chamber. Is a

Pressure stage available, a reactant gas (e.g. H ₂ ) can be added to convert what the primary charge generator generates (UVA / UV radiation, electrons, ions, electrically excited or metastable particles) into reactant ions (e.g. H ₃ ⁺ ). These reactant ions become the ionization chamber supplied in order to generate analyte ions (eg [M + H] ⁺ ) there by means of chemical ionization.

In one embodiment, the ionization device has an electron source, which can be operated in particular in a pulsed manner, for ionizing the gas to be analyzed in the ionization region. The electron source points

typically a filament (filament) that can withstand high temperatures e.g. is heated up to 2000 ° C in order to generate electrons or an electron beam through the glow-electric effect. The electron source can, for example, be operated in a pulsed manner with the aid of deflection units in order to optimally sample a respective gas pulse, i.e. generate the electron beam synchronized with the inlet system and the extraction device (see below) and to minimize unnecessary stress on the ionization region or the mass spectrometer by the electron beam.

In one development, the electron source is surrounded by a heat sink which has an opening for the exit of an electron beam or electrons. The high temperature of the filament can lead to an undesirable thermolysis of components of the gas to be ionized, which can be reduced by the heat sink. The heat sink can be formed from a material that is high

Has thermal conductivity coefficients, for example made of metals or

Metal alloys such as copper, brass, aluminum or stainless steel to remove the heat from the area surrounding the filament. The heat sink ideally encloses the filament in the manner of a shield to the ionization area, so that only high-energy electrons can get into the ionization area through the opening. The heat sink can be surface-treated to increase the corrosion resistance, for example by applying further metal, metal oxide,

Metal nitride layers etc. In a further development, the mass spectrometer is designed to have a temperature of less than 100 ° C. in a temperature-controlled ionization space of the ionization device when the electron source is operating

maintain. Due to the high temperature of the filament, the electron source generates not only electrons but also heat radiation, which can lead to the problem of thermolysis described above. The heat radiation should therefore be kept away from the ionization chamber in order to achieve a defined temperature or a defined one

To be able to set temperature range that is not influenced by the operation of the electron source if possible. This can e.g. can be achieved by the shielding described above. Additionally or alternatively, the electron source or the filament can be arranged as far as possible from the ionization chamber, more precisely from the temperature-regulating ionization space. To reduce the heating effect, a comparatively low emission current from the electron source can also be set, which is, for example, not more than approximately 1 mA. The temperature-controlled ionization space can be a container which is arranged within the ionization chamber or within the ionization area. Alternatively, the entire ionization chamber can form the temperature-controlled ionization space. For the tempering of the

ionization space, the mass spectrometer can have, for example, a combined heating / cooling device in order to maintain a predetermined temperature or a predetermined temperature range in the ionization space.

In a further development, the electron source comprises one

Exchange device for in particular automated exchange of a filament of the electron source or the electron source is detachably attached to the mass spectrometer. At high working pressures, a filament is usually prone to burning. Therefore, it is convenient if a

Filament can be exchanged with the help of an exchange device. The For this purpose, the exchange device can have a lock system in order to prevent the pressure in the ionization region from increasing when the filament is exchanged. For example, the

The opening in the heat sink or the shield must be closed while the filament is being exchanged. In this way, the pressure in the analysis area can be maintained, i.e. the vacuum in that

Analysis area is not broken when the filament is replaced. Alternatively, the entire electron source can be replaced when the filament burns out.

In a further embodiment, the ionization device has a plasma generation device for generating ions and / or metastable particles of an ionization gas. The

Plasma generating device can be used as in the WO

2014/118122 A2 described, which is made by reference in its entirety to the content of this application. In addition, a field generating device for generating a glow discharge (DC plasma) can be arranged in the ionization region, so that the

Ionization area forms a secondary plasma area, as described in WO 2016/096457 A1 cited at the beginning, which is also made in its entirety by reference to the content of this application. Through the ions and / or the metastable particles of the ionizing gas, chemical ionization of the gas to be analyzed, e.g. by impact ionization and / or by charge exchange ionization. The plasma generating device can have a controllable gas inlet, which for the pulsed supply of the ionizing gas into the

Plasma ionization device and thus the ions and / or the metastable particles of the ionization gas in the ionization area. The controllable gas inlet can be combined with the pulsed inlet system and the

Extraction device (see below) can be synchronized with the aid of the control device, as is also the case with the electron source. The plasma generating device can be coupled directly to an ionization chamber into which the gas to be analyzed is introduced for the ionization. As described above, there can be between the

Plasma generating device and the ionization chamber

Reaction space (a pressure stage) can be formed, which is a reactant gas

is added to the ions and / or metastable particles of the

Convert ionization gas into reactant ions, which are transferred to the ionization chamber to generate analyte ions by chemical ionization.

In a further embodiment, the ionization device has a gas inlet for the continuous or pulsed supply of Cl gas (CI = chemical ionization) into the ionization area of the ionization device. The supply can be controlled independently by a control device or synchronized with the inlet system. The Cl gas can be used for targeted chemical ionization. In this case, the analyte is not ionized directly by the electron beam, but the Cl gas is first ionized by the electron beam and then the charges are transferred from the Cl gas to the analyte. By cleverly selecting the Cl gas, the ionization of matrix components or analyte molecules with a small or no reaction cross section can be specifically suppressed or

are excluded (threshold spectroscopy), the threshold in this case depending on the selected Cl gas. If, for example, matrix gases with high ionization energies are used, e.g. argon or nitrogen, the formation of large amounts of matrix ions can be suppressed by choosing a suitable Cl gas that is suitable for charge transfer, thus preventing the trap from being overfilled, particularly when using an FT ion trap . The same applies to the use of reactant gases that generate reactant ions for protonation; here is the proton affinity of the matrix and analyte molecules decisive. Argon, methane, isobutane or ammonia, for example, can be used as Cl gases.

In a further embodiment, the ion transfer device has an ion transfer chamber in which the ion transfer region is formed, the ion transfer chamber being connected to the

ionization area and is preferably connected to the analysis area via a further aperture. In the simplest case (e.g. one

Residual gas analyzer), the ion transfer device is an aperture. In a more complex embodiment, the

Ion transfer device on an ion transfer chamber that, for example, an ion funnel, an aperture, a first multipole for ion cooling, another aperture, a second multipole for cooling and transport including filter function, another aperture, a third multipole for guiding the ions and an ion optics for May have coupling into the analyzer. All of these pressure stages, which are separated by a respective orifice, can be pumped differentially in order to reduce the neutral gas fraction based on the ion fraction. In this way, i.e. by differential pumping the

ion transfer chamber, a pressure difference can be generated between the pressure in the analysis area and the pressure in the ionization area, which is of the order of more than 10 ⁶ . The orifices which separate the individual pressure stages from one another cannot be arbitrarily small, because otherwise insufficient ions can pass through the orifices or the ions would have to be focused very strongly, which would prove to be unfavorable after the ions have emerged from the ion transfer chamber .

In a further embodiment, the mass spectrometer has a pump device for generating a pressure in the analysis area and for generating a pressure in the ionization area, the

Pump device is preferably designed, the pressure in the Ionization area regardless of the pressure in the analysis area

adjust. The ionization should take place at the highest possible pressure in order to maintain a high sensitivity during the measurement, while in the

Analysis range a low pressure is favorable. The (independent) setting of the pressure in the ionization area is favorable, since an optimal gas pressure in the ionization area depends on the process to be monitored, for example on the concentration of the analyte, and on the efficiency of the ionization of the respective analyte. The pump device can have a first (vacuum) pump for pumping the analysis area and a second (vacuum) pump for pumping the ionization area in order to enable the pressure in the ionization area to be set independently of the pressure in the analysis area. Alternatively, the pump device can have a so-called split-flow pump, i.e. a pump that has two or more outputs for

Generation of two different gas pressures in the analysis area and in the ionization area. Setting the effective

Pump power or pressure in the two areas can be achieved, for example, by selecting the pump (pump power) or by adapting the geometry. This can be done statically, for example, by adjusting the pump cross-section (diameter of the connection between the vacuum chamber and the pump). Dynamic adjustment is possible, for example, by using control valves or parallel connection of valves with different conductance values. In a further embodiment, a pressure in the ionization area is greater than a pressure in the analysis area. The pressure in the ionization region is preferably greater by a factor between 10 ³ and 10 ⁶ than a pressure in the analysis region. As described above, it is expedient to carry out the ionization at the greatest possible pressure in order to obtain a high sensitivity during the measurement. The pressure in the ionization region can, for example, be of the order of 1 mbar or above, while the pressure in the analysis area can be, for example, in the order of approximately 10 ⁶ mbar or below.

In a further embodiment, a pressure prevails in the ion transfer area of the ion transfer device, which is between the pressure in the

Ionization range and the pressure in the analysis area, wherein the pump device is preferably designed, the pressure in the

Ion transfer area to be set independently of the pressure in the ionization area and the pressure in the analysis area. The

Ion transfer device or the ion transfer stage has in addition to one

ion optical function the additional function of a vacuum side

Decoupling of the analysis area from the ionization area. Of the

For example, the ion transfer area can have a pressure that approximately corresponds to the mean value (based on the pressure exponent) between the pressure in the ionization area and the pressure in the analysis area. For example, the pressure in the ion transfer area can be approximately 10 ² mbar - 10 ⁴ mbar if the pressures in the ionization area and in the analysis area are in the order of magnitude specified above. It is usually necessary to pump the ion transfer area additionally (differentially); multi-stage split flow pumps are also used here, which then have, for example, an adapted inlet opening for the

Ionization area, have an inlet opening for the ion transfer area and an inlet opening for the analysis area. The pressures can also be set here as described above.

In a further embodiment, the mass spectrometer has a controllable extraction device for the pulsed extraction of the ionized gas from the ionization region into the ion transfer region. As described above, the mass spectrometer typically has a control device for synchronizing the extraction device with the controllable inlet system and the analyzer to allow periodic operation of the mass spectrometer.

In a further development, the extraction device has a

Electrode arrangement for (pulsed) acceleration and preferably for

Focusing (or defocusing) of the ionized gas in the direction of the ion transfer region, in particular in the direction of the aperture.

The electrode arrangement typically has at least two electrodes, possibly three or more electrodes, between which a voltage can be applied in order to move the gas to be ionized along one

Acceleration distance between two of the electrodes

accelerate and, if necessary, focus or defocus. The electrodes each have an opening through which the ionized gas can pass. The diameter of the openings in the electrodes can decrease in the direction of the ion transfer area or in the direction of the aperture between the ionization area and the ion transfer area. The

The aperture and the openings of the electrodes are typically arranged along a common line of sight (a straight line) on which the further aperture of the analyzer and the ionization device are also arranged.

Due to the pulsed acceleration of the ionized gas, the ionized gas can be extracted in a targeted manner from the ionization area into the ion transfer area within partial intervals of a respective measurement time interval in which the controllable inlet system is open. For this purpose, an additional AC voltage can be applied to the electrodes, which is usually in the radio frequency range (RF). For this purpose, the electrodes can also be arranged in a funnel shape

be connected in series. Depending on the application, an arrangement of the electrodes along a common line of sight can also be unfavorable, since this allows an unimpeded penetration of neutral particles and radiation, for example Allows light. If this leads to problems, an arrangement along a line of sight should be avoided.

In one embodiment, the mass spectrometer includes one

Control device for the synchronized control of the controllable inlet system and the extraction device such that the

Extraction device does not extract ionized gas from the ionization area when the controllable inlet system is closed. Even with the inlet system closed, the analyzer can display a mass spectrum or

Record mass spectra that correspond to a background signal (noise signal) of the mass spectrometer. The control device

The controllable inlet system, for example a controllable valve of the inlet system, synchronizes with the synchronized one

Extraction device. This is particularly advantageous in the event that the gas is ionized in the ionization region even when the inlet system is closed, i.e. if the ionization device is operated continuously and is not synchronized with the controllable inlet system. As described below, it is also possible that the

Ionization device is operated in a pulsed manner, so that it is only active when the controllable inlet system is open.

In one embodiment, the analyzer is designed to

mass spectrometric analysis of the gas in at least one

Compare the measurement time interval with the mass spectrum recorded with the intake system open to a mass spectrum recorded with the intake system closed in at least one measurement time interval. As described above, when the intake system is closed, a

Background spectrum of the analyzer are recorded and with the mass spectrum containing both the background spectrum and the signal spectrum of the gas to be analyzed with the open

Intake system can be compared. By comparing the signal to Noise ratio can be improved. The comparison can consist, for example, of subtracting the mass spectrum with the intake system closed from the mass spectrum with the intake system open (or vice versa). It goes without saying that there are other, more complex possibilities for comparing the mass spectra than subtraction.

In one embodiment, the analyzer is designed for the continuous analysis of the ionized gas and the control device controls the extraction device for the entire duration of each

Measuring time interval with the inlet system open to extract the gas from the ionization area. In the case of a continuously operated analyzer, a mass spectrum can be recorded continuously over the entire duration of a respective measuring time interval. It is therefore advisable to transfer ionized gas from the ionization area to the analysis area during the entire duration of the measurement time interval in order to achieve the greatest possible sensitivity in the analysis.

In a further development, the analyzer can be switched between a signal channel when the inlet system is open and a background channel when the inlet system is closed, and is designed to form a resultant mass spectrum from a plurality of measurement time intervals of the signal channel for analyzing the gas, a resultant mass spectrum from a plurality of To form measuring time intervals of the background channel and to compare the resulting mass spectra of the signal channel and the background channel for the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas. The continuously operated analyzer continuously records mass spectra or accumulates the recorded measurement or intensity values of the detected ionized gas. By switching between the

Signal channel and the background channel, the mass spectra or intensity values recorded with the inlet system open or closed can be added up or accumulated separately. A (possibly weighted) mean value or the sum of the mass spectra or the accumulated intensity values of the respective measurement time intervals of the signal channel or the background channel can be formed, for example, for the formation of a respective resulting mass spectrum. The signal-to-noise ratio can be increased by forming the sum and comparing the resulting mass spectra. The number of measuring time intervals from which the resulting mass spectrum is formed can be specified in advance. The number can be chosen, for example, such that no changes in the composition of the gas to be analyzed are to be expected during the entire time interval from which the resulting mass spectrum is formed, ie the time scale on which the process to be analyzed is greater is greater than the time scale in which the resulting mass spectrum is formed. By forming the resulting mass spectra of a predetermined number of measuring time intervals, a moving average can be realized in the analysis. Alternatively, the number of measurement time intervals cannot be specified, ie the intensity values of all measurement time intervals are added up from the start of the measurement.

In a further embodiment, the analyzer is designed for pulsed analysis of the ionized gas and the control device

designed to control the extraction device in a plurality of partial intervals of a measurement time interval with the inlet system open for extracting the gas from the ionization area. If the analyzer is operated in a pulsed manner, ionized gas can be extracted several times from the ionization area in the same measurement time interval and fed to the analyzer. In this case, the analyzer only integrates or sums up the intensity values in the respective subinterval as well as, if necessary, in a subsequent (further) subinterval in which no ionized gas is extracted from the ionization area before another extraction takes place. This can be useful, for example, if the analyzer enables non-destructive detection of the ionized gas to be analyzed, since in this case the one supplied to the analysis area in the respective subinterval

The amount of gas can also be analyzed several times if necessary.

In one development, the analyzer is designed to result in a resulting mass spectrum from a plurality of subintervals

Measuring time interval with the intake system open and a

to form the resulting mass spectrum from a plurality of partial intervals of a measurement time interval preceding or following the measurement time interval when the inlet system is closed, and to compare the two resulting mass spectra for mass spectrometric analysis. Due to the pulsed operation of the analyzer this can also be done

Measurement time interval of the background channel can be divided into several partial intervals, in each of which a mass spectrum of the background channel is recorded. From the in the respective subintervals of

Measurement time interval of the mass spectra recorded in the background channel, a resulting mass spectrum can be formed, which is the sum or the mean value of the mass spectra recorded in the subintervals

Mass spectra corresponds. The same applies to those in (and possibly also after) the respective subintervals of the measuring time interval when the

Intake system recorded mass spectra. In the case of an analyzer operated in a pulsed manner, in this example, the formation of a respective resulting mass spectrum is therefore not summed over the mass spectra of several measurement time intervals or an average is formed, but rather over several subintervals of one and the same measurement time interval. The signal-to-noise ratio can also be improved in this way. It goes without saying that the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas in the analyzer can also be carried out in a manner other than that suggested above. In the event that the recording speed of the mass spectra is not sufficient to record a mass spectrum several times during a measurement time interval, a pulsed analyzer can also be operated in the manner described above in connection with the continuously operated analyzer. In any case, the pulsed inlet system or the pulsed extraction can result in a signal-to-background differentiation that is optimized for a particular type of analyzer.

In a further embodiment, the analyzer is selected from the group comprising: quadrupole analyzer, triple quadrupole analyzer, time-of-flight (TOF) analyzer, in particular orthogonal acceleration TOF analyzer, scanning quadrupole ion trap analyzer, Fourier Transformation ion trap analyzer, ie FT-IT (lon trap) analyzer.

In principle, all common types of mass analyzers can be operated with the controllable inlet system or with the controllable one

Ionization device / extraction device can be coupled. A respective type of analyzer can be coupled to the ionization device via a suitable ion transfer device, such as RF multipoles, RF ion funnels, electrostatic lens systems or combinations of these devices. The mass spectrometer described here can be modular, i.e. the analyzer, the ion transfer device and the ionization device can be releasably connected to one another.

In a quadrupole analyzer, four cylindrical rods are typically used to carry out mass filtering in a quadrupole field, ie only ions with certain mass-to-charge ratios are passed through the quadrupole and reach a downstream detector. In the so-called triple quadrupole analyzer there are three quadrupoles arranged one after the other: A first quadrupole serves as a mass filter for the selection of a certain type of ions. A second quadrupole serves as a collision chamber for the fragmentation of the ions and a third quadrupole serves as a further mass filter for the selection of a specific ion fragment. In a further embodiment of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, the first quadrupole is used to filter very large ion signals, the second as

Mass filter and the third party for transferring the ions into the detector as free of losses and imaging errors as possible. In a time-of-flight analyzer, the mass-to-charge ratio of ions is determined by measuring the flight time in a shock-free space. For this purpose, the ions are typically accelerated in an electrical field and detected by a detector at the end of the flight route. With an "orthogonal acceleration" TOF analyzer, the ions are accelerated perpendicular to the original direction of propagation of the ions when they enter the analyzer.

In the classic quadrupole ion trap (Paul trap, QIT), the ions of the gas to be analyzed are stored in a quadrupole field, which is typically formed between two cover electrodes and a ring electrode. The ions stored in the ion trap can be removed from the ion trap in a targeted manner and fed to a detector which is located in the

Analysis area is arranged. For this purpose, the RF or DC potential between the electrodes can be suitably varied (scanning), for example in the manner of a ramp or a linear function. Here, ions can be removed from the ion trap in the axial direction and become one

Detector are fed.

In an FT ion trap analyzer, the induction current generated by the trapped ions on the measuring electrodes is detected and amplified in a time-dependent manner. This time dependency is then calculated using a Frequency transformation such as a (Fast-) Fourier transformation in the frequency domain and the mass dependence of the resonance frequencies of the ions used to convert the frequency spectrum into a mass spectrum. In general, mass spectrometry using a Fourier transformation can be carried out with different types of ion traps in order to carry out fast measurements, the combination with the so-called orbitrap being the most common. Orbitraps are based on the ion traps introduced by Kingdon. All described types of analyzers can generally process both pulsed and continuous ion currents; It should be noted that the highest efficiency of the

Total spectrometer consisting of inlet system, ionization device, ion transfer device and analyzer can only be achieved if continuously working analyzers (quadrupole, triple

Quadrupole analyzers) are operated with continuously operated inlet, ionization and transfer stages and pulsed analyzers (time-of-flight analyzers and ion traps) are operated with pulsed inlet, ionization and transfer stages. In principle, all combinations are possible, but only with a drastic loss of the performance of the overall system.

The invention also relates to a method for mass spectrometric analysis of a gas using a mass spectrometer, in particular using a mass spectrometer as described above, comprising: pulsed feeding of the gas to be analyzed from a process area outside the mass spectrometer into an ionization area, ionization of the gas to be analyzed in the ionization area , preferably pulsed extraction of the ionized gas from the ionization area into an ion transfer area, transfer of the ionized gas from the

ion transfer area in an analysis area, and detection of the ionized gas in the analysis area for mass spectrometric analysis of the gas or performing the mass spectrometric analysis of the detected gas. As described above in connection with the mass spectrometer, the pulsed

Gas sampling from the process area, the amount of corrosive gas, such as caustic gas, can be reduced with components of the

Mass spectrometer comes into contact.

In one variant, the method comprises: controlling the controllable

Inlets and the extraction device such that the extraction device does not extract any ionized gas from the ionization area when the controllable inlet system is closed. As described above, a mass spectrum or a plurality of mass spectra can be recorded in this way when the inlet system is closed, which corresponds to a background signal (noise signal) of the mass spectrometer. In a further variant, for the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas, at least one mass spectrum recorded in at least one measuring time interval with the inlet system open is compared with at least one mass spectrum recorded in at least one measuring time interval with the inlet system closed. As above in

In connection with the mass spectrometer, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved in this way. Depending on the continuous or pulsed operation of the analyzer, a

Control or a mass spectrometric analysis is carried out in the manner described above in connection with the mass spectrometer:

In the case of a continuously operated analyzer, for example, during the entire duration of a respective measurement time interval when the analyzer is open

Intake system gas can be extracted from the ionization area. Of the

Analyzer can be switched between a signal channel and a background channel and for analyzing the gas from a plurality of recorded during a respective measurement time interval of the signal channel Mass spectra form a resulting mass spectrum from a plurality of during a respective measurement time interval of

Mass spectrums recorded in the background channel form a resulting mass spectrum and compare the two resulting mass spectra of the signal channel and the background channel with one another for mass spectrometric analysis.

If the analyzer is designed for pulsed analysis of the ionized gas, the extraction device can be actuated in a plurality of subintervals during a measurement time interval with the inlet system open to extract the gas from the ionization area. A resulting mass spectrum can be formed from a plurality of subintervals within a measurement time interval with the inlet system open. A resulting mass spectrum can likewise be formed from a plurality of subintervals of a measurement time interval preceding or following the measurement time interval when the inlet system is closed. The two resulting mass spectra can be used for mass spectrometry

Analysis can be compared. Further features and advantages of the invention result from the

the following description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, with reference to the figures of the drawing, which show details essential to the invention, and from the claims. The individual features can each be implemented individually or in any combination in a variant of the invention.

drawing

Exemplary embodiments are shown in the schematic drawing and are explained in the description below. It shows 1 shows a schematic representation of a mass spectrometer which has a controllable inlet system with a switchable valve, an ionization device with an electron source and with a temperature-controlled ionization space; comprises a controllable extraction device and an analyzer,

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation analogous to Fig. 1 with a

ionization device, which a

Has plasma ionization device,

Fig. 3 schematic representations of the time course of the

Control of the pulsed inlet, the extraction device and a continuously operated analyzer, as well as FIG. 4 schematic representations analogous to FIG. 3 in the case of a pulsed analyzer.

In the following description of the drawings, the same or

functionally identical components used identical reference numerals.

In Fig. 1, a mass spectrometer 1 is schematically

mass spectrometric analysis of a gas 2 shown. The gas 2 has a corrosive gas component 3a in the form of a reactive etching gas and an etching product 3b formed during the etching of a substrate. The gas 2 is located in a process area 4 outside the mass spectrometer 1, which forms the interior of a process chamber 5, of which only a partial area is shown in FIG. 1. The mass spectrometer 1 is connected to the process chamber 5 via an inlet system 6. The connection can be formed, for example, via a flange. Instead of a gas 2, which at a

Etching process is generated can also by means of the mass spectrometer 1 Gas 2 are analyzed, which is formed in a coating process, in the cleaning of the process chamber 5, etc.

The intake system 6 is controllable, i.e. the inlet system 6 has a fast-switching valve 7, via which the inlet system 6 can be opened or closed. The valve 7 can with the help of a

Control device 8 can be controlled. The control device 8 can be, for example, a data processing system (hardware, software, etc.) that is suitably programmed to enable the control of the inlet system 6 and further functions of the mass spectrometer 1 (see below).

For the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas 2, it is generally not necessary to determine the corrosive gas component 3a, i.e. the etching gas to detect, since this is fed to the etching process with a known concentration. The corrosive gas component 3a can also components of the

Damage mass spectrometer 1 by its corrosive effect. To prevent this, the controllable inlet system 6 has a filter device for filtering the corrosive gas component 3a, which in the example shown is in the form of a tubular component, e.g. a corrugated stainless steel hose 9 is formed. The corrugated hose 9 has a comparatively large size

Surface in relation to the volume and therefore enables the gas 2 to react with the material of the corrugated hose 9 along a large surface.

The corrugated tube 9 is detachable, for example via a screw connection, connected to the mass spectrometer 1 so that it can be replaced easily and inexpensively. Due to the reaction of the corrosive gas component 3a with the corrugated tube material 9, subsequent components of the mass spectrometer 1, which cannot be replaced as easily as the corrugated hose 9, protected from the action of the corrosive gas component 3a. The material of the corrugated hose 9 thus serves as the sacrificial material.

The corrosive gas component 3a can be, for example, the following gases:

Main group VII: halogens (e.g. F ₂ Cl ₂ , Br ₂ ), interhalogens (e.g. FCI, CIF ₃ ), halogen olefins (e.g. CF ₄ ), hydrogen halides (e.g. HF, HCl, HBr).

Main group VI: halogen oxygen acids (e.g. HOCI, HClOx),

Chalcohalides (e.g. SFe). Main group V: oxihalides (e.g. POCI3), hydrides (PH ₃ , AsH ₃ ), halides (e.g. NF ₃ , PCI ₃ ). Main group IV: hydrides (e.g. silanes, Si _n H _m ), halides (e.g. SiF ₄ , SiCI ₄ ). Main group III: hydrides (e.g. boranes B _n H _m ), halides (e.g. BCI ₃ ). The tubular component in the form of the corrugated hose 9 can in addition to the

Filter effect for the corrosive gas component 3a can also be designed to reduce the decomposition or condensation of the gas component 3b that is actually of interest, here in the form of the etching product. For this purpose, the corrugated hose 9 has a coating 9a on its inside. The material of the coating 9a depends on the gas component 3b to be analyzed. Different types of materials can be used for different types of etching products or for different types of etching processes

Coating 9a can be used. Different types of corrugated hoses 9 can be provided with a respectively adapted coating 9a, depending on the one to be analyzed in each case

Gas component 3b an adapted corrugated hose 9 in each

Mass spectrometer 1 is introduced. The corrugated hose 9 is one

Temperature control device 10 in the form of a heating element assigned to the corrugated hose 9 for one for the passage of the gas 2 or the

Analyzing gas component 3b heated suitable temperature. The

Temperature control device 10 is connected to the control device 8, in order to choose the temperature of the corrugated hose 9 adapted to the type of gas component 3b to be analyzed.

In the example shown in Fig. 1, the switchable valve 7 is designed as a 3-way valve, i.e. a carrier gas 3c can be fed to the latter via a further inlet. The control device 8 is configured, the 3-way valve 7 between a first switching state and a second

Switch switching state. In the first switching state

Ionization region 11 is supplied with the gas 2 to be analyzed, while in the second switching state the carrier gas 3c is supplied to the ionization region 11. For this purpose, the carrier gas 3c is supplied to the switchable valve 7 via a further supply line, specifically in the pulse pauses in which no gas 2 to be analyzed is supplied to the ionization region 11. The gas 2 to be analyzed and the carrier gas 3c are thus supplied alternately to the ionization region 11. In this way, the

The operating point of the ionization device used (see below) must be kept constant. In addition, the carrier gas 3c can produce a positive, purging effect in the ionization region 11. For example, an inert gas can be used as the carrier gas 3c.

Via the controllable inlet system 6 with the tubular component 9 in the form of the corrugated hose, the gas 2, ideally only the gas component 3b to be analyzed, enters an ionization region 11, which forms the interior of an ionization chamber 12 of the mass spectrometer 1. The corrugated tube 9 ends in a schematically indicated temperature-regulating ionization space 13 (container) which is open on two sides, the part of a

is ionization device 14, which serves to ionize the gas 2 in the ionization region 11. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the ionization device 14 has an electron source 14 with a filament (filament) 15. The ionization device 14 stands with the

Control device 8 in signaling connection to a not pictorial shown deflection device, for example an electrode arrangement for generating an electric field, to temporarily deflect an electron beam 14a emerging from the filament 15, so that it does not pass through an opening 17 in a surrounding the filament 15

Shield 16 can exit into the container 13 to the gas 2

ionize. The electron source 14 can thus be operated in a pulsed manner, i.e. An electron beam 14a is only irradiated into the ionization region 11 if this is useful for the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas 2, as will be described in more detail below.

The shield 16 of the filament 15 is in the example shown as

Heat sink formed, i.e. this is made of a material with a high coefficient of thermal conductivity, for example copper, brass,

Aluminum or stainless steel (each with a coating if necessary) to dissipate heat from the surroundings of the filament 15. The heat sink 16 or the shield also makes it possible to separate the surroundings of the filament 15 from the ionization region 11, i.e. this is only connected to the ionization region 11 via the opening 17. The heat sink 16 enables the temperature-regulating ionization space 13 or the ionization container to be kept at a desired temperature T or in a desired temperature interval even when the electron source 14 is switched on. The temperature T or the temperature range in the temperature-regulating ionization space 13 can be, for example, less than approximately 100 ° C., but higher temperatures are also possible. For the temperature control, the ionization device 14 typically has a heating and / or cooling device, not shown in the figure.

The heat sink or the shield 16 is advantageous if the filament 15 is ideally to be exchanged automatically with the aid of an exchange device 18 indicated by a double arrow. For the exchange of the filament 15, the exchange device 18 can be a transport device for Have transport of the filament 15 to an exchange position at which the filament 15 can be exchanged automatically or, if necessary, manually.

In order not to break the vacuum or the negative pressure in the mass spectrometer 1 when the filament 15 is exchanged, the exchange device 18 can have a lock. Optionally, a screen can serve as a lock, which closes the opening 17 in the heat sink 16, so that the interior of the heat sink 16 is no longer connected to the ionization region 11. Alternatively, the entire electron source 14 including the heat sink 16 can optionally be replaced if this represents a detachable component of the mass spectrometer 1.

As can also be seen in FIG. 1, the mass spectrometer 1 also has a controllable extraction device 19 for the pulsed extraction of the ionized gas 2a from the ionization region 11 into one

Ion transfer area 20 of an ion transfer device 21, which is formed in an ion transfer chamber 22. In the example shown, the extraction device 19 has an electrode arrangement with three electrodes 23a-c for the pulsed acceleration and possibly focusing of the ionized gas 2a in the direction of the ion transfer region 20. The extraction device 19 or the three electrodes 23a-c have a signal connection with the control device 8 in order to apply a desired potential to the electrodes 23a-c and in this way a desired potential

Generate acceleration voltage between adjacent electrodes 23a-c to the ionized gas 2a with an appropriate (depending on the mass-to-charge ratio) acceleration (pulsed) from the

Extract ionization region 11 into the ion transfer region 20.

For the passage of the ionized gas 2a, the electrodes 23a-c each have a central aperture. The diameter of the respective openings in the electrodes 23a-c decreases in the direction of the ion transfer region 20 in order to increase the ionized gas 2a to an aperture 24 in a chamber wall concentrate, which is formed between the ion transfer chamber 22 and the ionization chamber 12. The ion transfer device 21 has ion optics (not shown) in order to transfer the ionized gas 2a into an analysis area 25 of an analyzer 26 with as little contact as possible. The ion transfer area 20 is connected to the analysis area 25, more precisely to a wall of an analysis chamber 27, via a further aperture 28. The aperture 24, the further aperture 28 and the openings in the electrodes 23a-c, more precisely their respective

Center points lie on a line of sight 29 (i.e. on a straight line).

The mass spectrometer 1 comprises a pump device in the form of at least two, in the example shown three vacuum pumps 30a, b, c, which can be controlled independently of one another by means of the control device 8. Alternatively, the pump device can be a multi-stage

Be split flow pump. In this way, a pressure pi in the ionization area 11 can be set independently of a pressure p _A in the analysis area 25. This is favorable since, in particular, the pressure pi in the ionization region 11 should be determined as a function of the gas 2 to be analyzed and thus of the process to be monitored by means of the mass spectrometer 1. In the example shown, the ion transfer device 21 is also pumped differentially by a vacuum pump 30c. In this way, a static pressure p _T is formed in the ion transfer area 20, which lies between the pressure p _A in the analysis area 25 and the pressure pi in the ionization area 11. Thus the neutrals in the

The ion transfer region 20 is pumped out as efficiently as possible and the ionized gas 2a is transferred into the analysis region 25 with as little loss as possible.

It has proven to be advantageous if the pressure p _A in the analysis area 25 and the pressure pi in the ionization area 11 have a large pressure difference. The pressure pi in the ionization region 11 can, for example - depending on the ionization method chosen - by a factor that is between 10 ³ and 10 ⁶ , greater than the pressure p _A in the analysis area 25. The pressure pi in the ionization area 11 can be smaller by a factor of 10 ² , possibly 10 ³ , than a pressure pu in the process area 4 in the process chamber 5. For example, the pressure pu in the process area 4 can be about 1000 mbar, the pressure pi in the ionization area 11 can be about 1 mbar, the pressure rt in the ion transfer area 20 can be about 10 ³ mbar and the pressure p _A in the analysis area 25 can be approximately 10 ^{~ 6} mbar or below. In order to be able to maintain these pressure differences and around the

Apertures between the pressure levels, such as the

Aperture opening 24 between the ionization region 11 and the

To be able to make ion transfer chamber 22 or the further aperture 24 between the ion transfer chamber 22 and the analysis area 25 as large as possible and thus as transparent as possible for ions

Ion transfer device 21, more precisely the ion transfer chamber 22, is pumped in most cases. In particular, field generation devices, e.g. in the form of multipoles, in order to transport the ions into the analysis area 25 with as little loss as possible and to pump out neutral particles as efficiently as possible so that they do not get into the analysis area 25.

The mass spectrometer 1 shown in FIG. 1 has an additional one

Gas supply 31 for the continuous or pulsed supply of Cl gas 32 from a gas reservoir 33 into the ionization area 11, more precisely into the temperature-controlled ionization space 13. The gas reservoir 33 is an example of a device for providing the Cl gas 32, with a feed e.g. is also possible via a line. The additional

Gas supply 31 has a further valve 34 for controlling the inflow of Cl gas 32 and is controlled via control device 8. The Cl gas 32 is used for targeted chemical ionization in the temperature-regulating ionization space 13. In this case, the ionization is not carried out directly by the electron beam 14a, but the Cl gas 32 is first of all by the Electron beam 14a is ionized and then the charges are transferred from the Cl gas 32 to the gas component 3b to be analyzed — possibly at different times. FIG. 2 shows a mass spectrometer 1, which is designed like the mass spectrometer 1 shown in FIG. 1 and differs only in the type of ionization device 14: The ionization device 14 has a plasma ionization device 35 for generating ions 36a and / or metastable particles 36b of an ionizing gas 37. The

ionizing gas 37, which is, for example, a rare gas, e.g. helium, is stored in a gas reservoir 38 and can be supplied to the plasma ionization device 35 via a controllable gas inlet 39. The ions 36a and the metastable particles 36b of the ionization gas 37 exit the plasma ionization device 35 and enter the ionization region 11 in order to pass the gas 2 to be analyzed

Impact ionization and / or ionize by charge exchange ionization. The ionization device 14 shown in FIG. 2 can also be operated in a pulsed manner by opening or closing the controllable gas inlet 39 with the aid of the control device 8, the controllable gas inlet 39

is typically only opened if the inlet system 6 for

Feeding of the gas 2 to be ionized into the ionization region 11 is open.

In the ionization device 14 shown in FIG. 2, the ions 36a and the metastable particles 36b of the ionization gas 37 are combined into one

Transferred reaction space 40, in which there is a pressure that between the pressure in the plasma ionization device 31 and the pressure in the

Ionization space 13 is. A reactant gas, for example hydrogen, is fed to the reaction space 40. The gas flow into the reaction space 40 and the respective inlet and outlet diaphragm diameters determine the pressure in the reaction space 40. The reactant gas is passed through by the ionizing gas 37 Impact ionization and / or charge exchange converted into reactant ions, for example in H ₃ ⁺ . These pass through the outlet diaphragm of the reaction space 40 into the ionization space 13 within the ionization area 11, where they generate the analyte ions, eg [M + H] ⁺ , of the analyte M by chemical ionization.

The analyzer 26, which is used to detect the ionized gas 2a or components of the ionized gas 2a, can be designed in different ways: for example, it can be a quadrupole analyzer, a triple-quadrupole analyzer, a time-of-day Flight (TOF) analyzer, e.g. an orthogonal acceleration TOF analyzer, a scanning quadrupole ion trap analyzer, a Fourier transformation ion trap analyzer, for example an FT-IT) (ion trap) analyzer or another type of conventional analyzer 26. 3 shows an example of the timing of the activation of the pulsed inlet 6 (“A” in FIG. 3 above), the extraction device 19 (“B” in FIG. 3 in the middle), and a continuously operated analyzer 26 ( "C" in Fig. 3 below). The analyzer 26 is here by means of

Control device 8 with the pulsed inlet system 6 and

Extraction device 19 synchronized. As can be seen in FIG. 3 above, the controllable inlet system 6 is periodically between an open switching state (upper signal level in FIG. 3 above) during the first

Measuring time intervals M1 (duration DΪM _I ) and a closed switching state (lower signal level in Fig. 3 above) switched over during second measuring time intervals M2 (duration At _M 2). The duration of the first and second

Measuring time intervals M1, M2 can be chosen to be the same or different, the duration Mm, At _{M2 of} the measuring time intervals M1, M2 typically being of the order of microseconds to seconds. The extraction device 19 is synchronized with the controllable

Inlet system 6 controlled, ie this is also D währendMI for the duration of a respective first measuring time interval M1 activated (upper signal level in FIG. 3 middle) and during the duration DΪM2 of a respective second one

Measuring time interval M2 (lower signal level in Fig. 3 middle) switched off. The analysis area 25 is therefore no ionized gas 2a from the

Ionization area 11 supplied when the controllable inlet system 6 is closed. When the inlet system 6 is open, on the other hand, ionized gas 2a is withdrawn or extracted from the ionization area 11 and fed to the analysis area 25 during the entire duration Ät _{Mi of} a respective first measurement time interval M1.

As can be seen in FIG. 3 below, the analyzer 26 is periodically switched between a first measuring channel K1 (signal channel) with first measuring time intervals M1 and a second measuring channel K2 (background channel) with a second one

Measuring time intervals M2 switched, at the same time as the switching of controllable inlet 6 and extraction device 19. In the case of continuously operated analyzer 26, a resulting mass spectrum MS1 is formed from measuring signals or mass spectra of a predetermined number of first measuring time intervals M1. Correspondingly, a resulting mass spectrum MS2 is formed from measurement signals or mass spectra of a predetermined number of second measurement time intervals M2. The resulting mass spectra MS1, MS2 represent the sum of the measurement signals recorded continuously in the respective measuring time intervals M1, M2. In the example shown, the resulting mass spectrum MS1, MS2 is made up of two measuring time intervals M1, M2 of the

Signal channel K1 or the background channel K2 formed, but it goes without saying that the number of measuring time intervals M1, M2, which are used for the summation, is generally larger and depends on the

The speed of the process carried out in the process chamber 5 is determined. If necessary, the summation can also take place over all measuring time intervals M1, M2 from the start of the measurement. To form the resulting mass spectra MS1, MS2 can be used instead of Sum formation also a - possibly weighted - mean value can be formed from the measured values recorded in the respective measuring time intervals M1, M2. For the mass spectrometric analysis of the gas 2, this is in the

The resulting mass spectrum MS1 recorded in signal channel K1 is compared with the resulting mass spectrum MS2 recorded in background channel K2, more precisely the mass spectrum MS2 recorded in background channel K2, which is attributable to background noise, is compared to the masses recorded in signal channel K1 - Spectrum MS1 subtracted. The one recorded in the signal channel K1

Mass spectrum MS1 has a signal component that corresponds to the mass-to-charge ratios of ionized gas components contained in the gas 2 to be analyzed, and a noise component that is not shown in the illustration in FIG. 3 for the sake of simplicity. In the simplest case, the mass spectrum MS2 of the background channel K2 is subtracted from the mass spectrum MS1 of the signal channel K1 in order to improve the mass-to-charge ratio. It is understood that the

Comparison between the two mass spectra MS1, MS2 does not have to be limited to mere subtraction, but may be more complex

Links between the two mass spectra MS1, MS2 can be carried out in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

4 shows, analogously to FIG. 3, the time course of the activation of the pulsed inlet 6 (“A” in FIG. 4 above), the extraction device 19 (“B” in FIG. 4 in the middle), and an analyzer operated in pulsed fashion 26 ("C" in Fig.

4 below). The analyzer 26 is also here by means of

Control device 8 with the pulsed inlet system 6 and

Extraction device 19 synchronized. As can be seen in FIG. 4 above, the controllable inlet system 6 is periodically between an open switching state (upper signal level in FIG. 4 above) during the first Measuring time intervals M1 (duration At _Mi ) and a closed switching state (lower signal level in FIG. 4 above) switched over during second measuring time intervals M2 (duration At _M 2). The extraction device 19 is synchronized with the controllable

Inlet system 6 controlled, i.e. however, this becomes only during the duration Atu of a respective first subinterval T 1 of a first

Measuring time interval M1 is activated (upper signal level in FIG. 4 middle), while the extraction device 19 is inactive for the duration At 2 of a respective second partial interval T2 of a respective first measuring time interval M1, so that no ionized gas 2a from the ionization region 11 in the

Analysis area 25 can occur. The number of the first / second subintervals T1, T2 of a respective first measurement time interval M1 can vary depending on the speed of the analyzer 26 and e.g. are ten or more. As in FIG. 3, no ionized gas 2a is supplied to the analysis area 25 in FIG. 4 if the controllable inlet system 6 is closed during a corresponding second measurement time interval M2.

In the pulsed mode, the analyzer 26 takes a mass spectrum each during the duration At _{Ti of} a respective first partial interval T1, in which the ionized gas 2 is transferred to the analysis area 25, and during the duration At _T 2 of a subsequent second partial interval T2 on. A resulting mass spectrum MS1 is formed from the mass spectra recorded in the respective subintervals T1, T2 of the first measurement time interval M1, which is shown in FIG. 4 bottom left in FIG. 4. During the duration At of corresponding subintervals T of a second measurement time interval M2 following the first, a number of mass spectra or a signal intensity is also recorded and summed or averaged over the number of subintervals T of the second measurement time interval M2 to produce a resulting mass Spectrum MS2 form. The first measuring time intervals M1 thus form a signal channel K1 and the second measurement time interval M2 a background channel K2 of the analyzer 26.

As described above in connection with FIG. 3, the resulting mass spectrum MS1 of the first measurement time interval M1 and the resulting mass spectrum MS2 of the second measurement time interval M2 can be compared with one another, for example by the two resulting mass spectra MS1, MS2 from one another be subtracted. In this way, the mass-to-charge ratio can also be improved in the pulsed operation of the analyzer 26 shown in FIG. 4. As a rule, it only makes sense to compare the mass spectra MS1, MS2 of adjacent first and second measurement time intervals M1, M2 with one another. Instead of

subsequent second measuring time interval M2, it would therefore also be possible to use the second one preceding the respective first measuring time interval M1

Measurement time interval M2 to be used for the comparison.

Claims

1 claims

1. Mass spectrometer (1) for mass spectrometric analysis of a

Gases (2) comprising:

a controllable inlet system (6) for the pulsed supply of the gas to be analyzed (2) from a process area (4) outside the mass spectrometer (1) into an ionization area (11),

an ionization device (14) for ionizing the gas (2) to be analyzed in the ionization area (11),

an ion transfer device (21) for transferring the ionized gas (2a) from the ionization area (11) via an ion transfer area (20) into an analysis area (25), and

an analyzer (26) for detecting the ionized gas (2a) in the analysis area (25).

2. Mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the inlet system (6) has a tubular, preferably temperature-controllable, exchangeable and / or coated component (9) for supplying the gas (2) to be analyzed into the ionization region (11).

3. Mass spectrometer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inlet system (6) is a filter device, preferably a tubular component in the form of a corrugated hose (9), in particular made of stainless steel, for filtering at least one corrosive contained in the gas (2) to be analyzed

Gas component, in particular for filtering an etching gas (3a).

4. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the inlet system (6) is a controllable component, in particular a

Controllable valve (7), which preferably between a first switching state for the pulsed supply of the gas to be analyzed (2) into the ionization area (11) and a second switching state for 2 pulsed supply of a carrier gas (3c) in the ionization area (11) is switchable.

5. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the ionization device is operated in particular in a pulsed manner

Has electron source (14) for ionizing the gas to be analyzed (2) in the ionization region (11).

6. mass spectrometer according to claim 5, wherein the electron source (14) is surrounded by a heat sink (16) having an opening (17) for the exit of an electron beam (14a).

7. mass spectrometer according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the

Mass spectrometer (1) is formed in a temperature-controlled

Ionization space (13) of the ionization device during operation of the

Electron source (14) a temperature of less than 100 ° C.

maintain.

8. mass spectrometer according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the

Electron source (14) has an exchange device (18) for in particular automated exchange of a filament (15) of the electron source (14) or in which the electron source (14) is detachably attached to the

Mass spectrometer (1) is attached.

9. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the ionization device comprises a plasma ionization device (31) for generating ions (32a) and / or metastable particles (32b) of an ionization gas (33).

10. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the ionization device (14) is a gas supply (31) for pulsed or 3 has continuous addition of Cl gas (32) in the ionization region (11) of the ionization device (14).

11. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the ion transfer device (21) has an ion transfer chamber (22) in which the ion transfer region (20) is formed, the

Ion transfer chamber (22) via an aperture (24) with the

Ionization area (11) and is preferably connected to the analysis area (25) via a further aperture (28).

12. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: a pump device (30a, b, c) for generating a pressure (p _A ) in the analysis area (25) and for generating a pressure (pi) in the ionization area (11), wherein the pump device (30a, b) is preferably designed to set the pressure (pi) in the ionization region (11) independently of the pressure (p _A ) in the analysis region (25).

13. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which a pressure (pi) in the ionization region (11) is greater, preferably by a factor between 10 ³ and 10 ⁶ , than a pressure (p _A ) in the analysis region (25 ).

14. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which in the ion transfer area (20) of the ion transfer device (21) there is a pressure (p _T ) which lies between the pressure (pi) in the ionization area (11) and the pressure (p _A ) lies in the analysis area (25), the

Pump device (30a, b, c) is preferably designed to control the pressure (pi) in the ion transfer region (20) independently of the pressure (pi) in the

Ionization range (11) and the pressure (p _A ) in the analysis area (25). 4th

15. A mass spectrometer according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

a controllable extraction device (19) for the pulsed extraction of the ionized gas (2a) from the ionization region (11) into the

Ion transfer area (20).

16. Mass spectrometer according to claim 15, wherein the extraction device (19) has an electrode arrangement (23a-c) for accelerating and preferably for focusing the ionized gas (2a) in the direction of the

Ion transfer area (20), in particular in the direction of the aperture (24).

17. Mass spectrometer according to one of claims 15 or 16, further

comprising: a control device (8) for synchronized

Control of the controllable inlet system (6) and

Extraction device (19) such that the extraction device (19) does not extract any ionized gas (2a) from the ionization area (11) when the inlet system (6) is closed.

18. Mass spectrometer according to claim 17, in which the analyzer (26) is designed for mass spectrometric analysis of the gas (2) in a mass spectrum (MS1) recorded in at least one measuring time interval (M1) with the inlet system (6) open and having at least one a measuring time interval (M2) with the inlet system (6) closed

compare recorded mass spectrum (MS2).

19. Mass spectrometer according to claim 17 or 18, in which the analyzer (26) is designed for continuous analysis of the ionized gas (2a) and in which the control device (8), the extraction device (19) during the entire duration (Ät _Mi ) of each Measuring time interval (M1) 5 when the inlet system (6) is open to extract the ionized gas (2a) from the ionization region (11).

20. A mass spectrometer according to claim 19, wherein the analyzer (26)

is switchable and designed between a signal channel (K1) and a background channel (K2) for analyzing the gas (2)

resulting mass spectrum (MS1) from a number of

Measuring time intervals (M1) of the signal channel (K1) to form and a

resulting mass spectrum (MS2) from a number of

To form measuring time intervals (M2) of the background channel (K2) and to compare the two resulting mass spectra (MS1, MS2) of the signal channel (K1) and the background channel (K2) for mass spectrometric analysis.

21. A mass spectrometer according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the

Analyzer (26) for pulsed analysis of the ionized gas (2a)

and in which the control device (8) is designed, the extraction device (11) in a plurality of partial intervals (T1) during a measurement time interval (M1) with the inlet system (6) open for extracting the ionized gas (2a) from the ionization area ( 11) to control.

22. Mass spectrometer according to claim 21, in which the analyzer (26) is designed to form a resulting mass spectrum (MS1) from a plurality of subintervals (T1, T2) within a measurement time interval (M1) with the inlet system (6) open and a resulting mass spectrum (MS2) from a plurality of subintervals (T) of a measurement period (M1) preceding or following

To form measuring time intervals (M2) with the inlet system (6) closed, and to compare the two resulting mass spectra (MS1, MS2) with one another for mass spectrometric analysis. 6

23. Mass spectrometer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the analyzer (26) is selected from the group comprising: quadrupole analyzer, triple quadrupole analyzer, time-of-flight (TOF) analyzer, in particular orthogonal acceleration TOF analyzer , scanning

Quadrupole ion trap analyzer and Fourier transform ion trap analyzer.

24. Method for mass spectrometric analysis of a gas to be analyzed (2) by means of a mass spectrometer (1), in particular by means of a mass spectrometer (1) according to one of the preceding

Claims comprising:

Pulsed supply of the gas to be analyzed (2) from a

Process area (4) outside the mass spectrometer (1) into an ionization area (11) via an inlet system (6),

Ionizing the gas to be analyzed (2) in the ionization area (11), preferably pulsed extraction of the ionized gas (2a) from the ionization area (11) into an ion transfer area (20) by means of an extraction device (19),

Transferring the ionized gas (2a) from the ion transfer area (11) into an analysis area (25), and

Detection of the ionized gas (2a) in the analysis area (25) for its mass spectrometric analysis.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

Control the controllable inlet system (6) and the

Extraction device (19) such that the extraction device (19) does not extract any ionized gas (2a) from the ionization area (11) when the inlet system (6) is closed. 7

26. The method according to any one of claims 24 or 25, in which

Mass spectrometric analysis of the gas (2) at least one mass spectrum (MS1) recorded in at least one measuring time interval (M1) when the inlet system (6) is open with at least one mass spectrum (MS1) recorded in at least one measuring time interval (M2) with the inlet system (6) closed MS2) is compared.