A Method for Increasing the Sensitivity of Mass-Spectrometric Measurements

Abstract

A method for increasing the sensitivity of mass-spectrometric measurements in the analysis of small amounts of gases, which are insufficient for organizing a stationary flow through an ion source, is considered. Measurements are carried out upon a single injection of a portion of a gas. The use of this method for increasing the sensitivity in isotope helium analyses on MI9303 magnetic-resonance mass spectrometers allowed the sensitivity of the spectrometer to be increased to ~10⁵ atoms in a sample, i.e., it allowed measurements for a helium volume in a sample of up to ~10⁻¹⁴ cm³. The experience of carrying out isotope analyses in samples of inert gases of various origins using different methods for evacuating chambers of mass analyzers was generalized.