NSF Award
9860828
9860828<br/> This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes new technology for an on-line mass spectrometer that offers a compelling performance and price breakthrough relative to existing technology used to monitor and control microelectronic manufacturing processes. The basic techniques are threshold photoionization (TPI) coupled to a quadruple ion trap/mass spectrometer. The TPI energy is sufficiently high to also ionize nearly all compounds of manufacturing interest (e.g., organics, amines, amides, phosphines, arsines, some si-lanes, and most heteroatom containing molecules) yet it is of sufficiently low energy to avoid fragmerttation of these molecules and to avoid ionization of common atmospheric constituents such as N2, 2, H20, CO2, CO, Ar, and other rare gases that are not directly involved in manufacturing processes. These at-tributes permit enormous simplification in the analysis of complex mixtures compared to currently available mass spectrometers. Based on previous research conducted in our laboratories and on a validated model for calculating ion production rates, we project detection sensitivity of <1 part-per-billion with 1 sec response time. This work builds on fundamental developments and commercial customers and third party financing have been identified to commercialize this technology.<br/> The proposed instrument is a universal ultra-sensitive real-time monitoring system whose applications are broad. Syagen is focusing on three market areas: (1) microelectronics and other manufacturing process monitoring (e.g., endpoint detection), (2) rapid monitoring of explosives or contraband in airline baggage, mail packages, or motor vehicles, and (3) monitoring of pollution for regulatory compliance and process efficiency, (e.g., in-field air, water, soil assaying, automobile or truck exhaust, refinery emission, etc.).
