Methods for measuring the sorbate content of substrates

A method for measuring the sorbate content of a substrate containing a sorbed material, said method comprising the acts of:

• disposing a measuring chamber containing a carrier medium in communication with the substrate so that sorbate molecules can migrate from the substrate into the measuring chamber;
• sensing the partial pressure of sorbate molecules in the carrier medium in the measuring chamber and detecting the rate at which the partial pressure of the sorbate in the carrier medium approaches a stable end value;
• determining the partial pressure of the sorbate in the substrate from the rate at which the partial pressure of the sorbate in the carrier medium approaches a stable end value;
• and
• determining the sorbate content of the substrate from the partial pressure of the sorbate in the substrate.

A sensor for measuring the sorbate content of an adjacently disposed substrate containing a sorbed material, said sensor comprising:

• a measuring chamber surrounded by a thermal insulating layer, said measuring chamber having at least one opening into said chamber through which sorbate molecules from the adjacently disposed substrate can migrate into the chamber;
• a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature in the measuring chamber;
• a substrate temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the adjacently disposed substrate, and
• a measuring device for measuring the partial pressure of the sorbate in the measuring chamber.