Where it fits
This is the one service of the six that is not about filters: high-purity chemicals, process chemistries, battery materials and filter extraction liquors are all accepted. Typical triggers are metal cleanliness checks on an advanced node, contamination tracing behind a yield excursion, or supplying the metal background data another validation exercise depends on.
Key characteristics
Coverage runs to the common 30 metals plus difficult elements such as silicon, boron, sulfur and phosphorus. Tandem ICP-QQQ mode removes polyatomic and matrix interference — at ultra-trace levels, credibility is usually lost not to the instrument sensitivity on the datasheet but to interference that was never cleaned up.
The detection limit is on the order of 1 ppt; what is actually achievable varies by element and matrix and is stated at method verification rather than glossed over with one generic figure. For complex matrices such as isopropanol, PGMEA and strong acids or bases, dedicated method development and verification comes first, and the target element list is quantified against it.
Sample preparation is carried out in Class 100 / 1000 cleanrooms. At this level the environmental background can exceed the sample signal, and without controlling the preparation environment the measurement describes the laboratory rather than the sample.
Choosing between options
Against the two other services that include metals, the difference is scope and output:
| Service | What you send | Coverage | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-trace ICP-MS analysis (this) | Liquid samples, filters or otherwise | The common 30 metals plus Si / B / S / P | Per-element concentrations with per-element detection limits |
| Filter cleanliness testing | Filters, ideally new and used as a pair | Organic extractables, metals, particle shedding | Reported per device |
| Extractables and leachables testing | Filters, tubing, packaging, wetted components | Metals, organic species and non-volatile residue | Identification and quantification by species |
Operation & change-out
What to send: liquid samples in their original packaging or a clean container. Please provide the matrix composition (UPW, isopropanol, PGMEA, strong acids or bases and so on), the target element list and the detection level required. Unusual matrices and first-time submissions are best preceded by method development before any volume work. Extended items such as wafer-surface metals by VPD-ICP-MS are run jointly with partner analytical laboratories nationwide. Turnaround is confirmed with the quotation from scope and sample count.