High-Resolution Trace Element Analysis for the Production of Chlorinated Oligosanes

PSC GmbH is a leading manufacturer and developer of ultra-high-purity specialty materials for microelectronics. In this field, the absence of metallic impurities in the materials is essential to ensure the quality and performance of the end products.

The handling of highly reactive oligosilanes, which must be handled in the absence of oxygen, is particularly challenging. To date, there is no sufficiently sensitive trace analysis available to test these materials for metallic impurities. Therefore, the development of adapted methods with sufficiently low detection limits in the ppt range (parts per trillion) is necessary to meet the high purity requirements.

To ensure the purity of chlorinated oligosilanes (such as hexachlorodisilane, HCDS, and pentachlorodisilane, PCDS), PSC GmbH is seeking to establish a suitable, production-oriented method for trace analysis. An essential part of this project is the development of a protective gas digestion unit. This unit enables even pyrophoric materials to be chemically digested in the absence of oxygen. These materials can then be analyzed using ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) to ensure precise elemental analysis.