High-performance adaptable sampling system

A sampling system for measuring quantities of species in a processing chamber, the sampling system comprising:

• a mass spectrometer comprising an ionizer;
• and
• a shutter positioned between the processing chamber and the mass spectrometer, the shutter configured to block a particle beam originating from the processing chamber, the shutter arranged in a first chamber of a pumping block, the pumping block having a second chamber coupled to a vacuum pump, the second chamber providing a pressure differential between the first chamber and the processing chamber to provide a path for the particle beam from the processing chamber to the first chamber,
• wherein an electron energy of the ionizer is set to an initial energy value,
• wherein the electron energy is swept from the initial energy value to a final energy value cyclically,
• wherein background quantification data is collected while the shutter is closed,
• wherein signal quantification data of species in the particle beam is collected while the shutter is open,
• wherein the electron energy is set to a next value in response to closing the shutter a second time after opening the shutter, and
• wherein quantities of species in the processing chamber are determined using the signal quantification data and the background quantification data after collecting the signal quantification data with the electron energy set at the final energy value.

A plasma processing system, comprising:

• a processing chamber;
• and
• a sampling system for measuring quantities of species in the processing chamber, the sampling system comprising:
• a mass spectrometer comprising an ionizer, and
• a shutter positioned between the processing chamber and the mass spectrometer, the shutter configured to block a particle beam originating from the processing chamber, the shutter arranged in a first chamber of a pumping block, the pumping block having a second chamber coupled to a vacuum pump, the second chamber providing a pressure differential between the first chamber and the processing chamber to provide a path for the particle beam from the processing chamber to the first chamber,
• wherein an electron energy of the ionizer is set to an initial energy value,
• wherein the electron energy is swept from the initial energy value to a final energy value cyclically,
• wherein background quantification data is collected while the shutter is closed,
• wherein signal quantification data of species in the particle beam is collected while the shutter is open,
• wherein the electron energy is set to a next value in response to closing the shutter a second time after opening the shutter, and
• wherein quantities of species in the processing chamber are determined using the signal quantification data and the background quantification data after collecting the signal quantification data with the electron energy set at the final energy value.