Complementary radiofrequency glow discharge source for a commercial quadrupole mass spectrometer system

Abstract

A radiofrequency (r.f.) powered glow discharge (GD) atomization/ionization source has been designed and coupled to a commercial GD mass spectrometry system, the VG GloQuad. Preliminary characterizations indicate that this source produces ion beam currents comparable in intensity to conventional d.c. powered sources, with the added advantage of maintaining these intensities in the direct sputter atomization of glass matrix samples. Plasma stabilization times are observed to be of the order of 2–3 min, with long-term (30 min) stability of better than 5% demonstrated for analytes in both metal and glass samples. These preliminary findings suggest that the r.f. GD device might complement the use of d.c. sources for bulk solids and depth resolved analyses.