Direct-current glow-discharge spectrometry

M. Vazquez Pelaez, J. M. Costa-Fernandez, R. Pereiro, N. Bordel and A. Sanz-Medel, Quantitative depth profile analysis by direct current glow discharge time of flight mass spectrometry, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 18,2003, 864-871. 

Oksenoid K. G., Liebich V. and Pietsch G. (1996) Improvement of analyte to interferent line intensity ratio in direct current glow discharge mass spectrometry, Fresenius Z Anal Chem 355 863-865. 

Dong, C. Wang, W. Li, H., Atmospheric pressure air direct current glow discharge ionization source for ion mohihty spectrometry. Anal. Chem. 2008, 80, 3925-3930. 

Schelles, W, De Gendt, S., Maes, K., Van Grieken, R.V. (1996) The use of a secondary cathode to analyse solid non-conducting samples with direct current glow discharge mass spectrometry potential and restrictions. Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 355, 858-860. 

Martin, A., Pereiro, R., Bordel, N., Sanz-Medel, A. (2007) Microsecond pulsed versus direct current glow discharge as ion sources for analytical glow discharge-time of flight mass spectrometry. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 22,1179-1183. 

Table 8.60 shows the main features of GD-MS. Whereas d.c.-GD-MS is commercial, r.f.-GD-MS lacks commercial instruments, which limits spreading. Glow discharge is much more reliable than spark-source mass spectrometry. GD-MS is particularly valuable for studies of alloys and semiconductors [371], Detection limits at the ppb level have been reported for GD-MS [372], as compared to typical values of 10 ppm for GD-AES. The quantitative performance of GD-MS is uncertain. It appears that 5 % quantitative results are possible, assuming suitable standards are available for direct comparison of ion currents [373], Sources of error that may contribute to quantitative uncertainty include sample inhomogeneity, spectral interferences, matrix differences and changes in discharge conditions. 

De Gendt S., Van Grieken R., Hang W. and Harrison W. W. (1995) Comparison between direct current and radiofrequency glow discharge mass spectrometry for the analysis of oxide-based samples, J Anal At Spectrom 10 689—695. 

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