Mass spectrometric chemical balance of CF ₄ decomposition in a plasma reactor

Abstract

Abstract The decomposition of carbon tetrafluoride (CF 4 ) in two types of plasma reactor has been investigated by using mass spectrometry. The optimization of the plasma process requires the establishment of an adequate chemical balance between major components and also traces in the reactor effluent, in order to minimize toxic emissions by control of the proper reactor parameters. On‐line mass spectrometric characterization of the effluent has been used to optimize the CF 4 decomposition yield. A GC/MS protocol has been developed to quantify both major and minor components of the effluent in order to evaluate its toxicity.