Method and apparatus for measuring purity of noble gases

A method for detecting impurities within a noble gas, the method comprising:

• providing an impurity detection chamber for holding the noble gas in liquid form, the impurity detection chamber comprising:
• a body having a first open end and a distal second open end, the body is hollow;
• a conductive cathode affixed to the first end of the body, the conductive cathode connected to a negative source of electricity;
• a conductive ground plate affixed to the distal second open end of the body, the conductive ground plate connected to an electrical ground;
• a conductive sensing anode within the impurity detection chamber in proximity to and insulated from the conductive ground plate, the conductive sensing anode connected to a conductive sensing lead which is insulated from and passes through the conductive ground plate;
• evacuating the impurity detection chamber;
• filling the impurity detection chamber with the noble gas in liquid form;
• emitting a pulse of ultraviolet light from a source of pulsed ultraviolet light;
• conducting the pulse of ultraviolet light into the impurity detection chamber and onto a photocathode, thereby creating a cloud of electrons;
• attracting the cloud of electrons toward the conductive sensing anode by way of a relatively positive voltage potential-at the conductive ground plate with respect to the conductive cathode;
• and
• measuring a voltage potential created by a number of electrons from the cloud of electrons that reach the conductive sensing anode, whereby the number of electrons reaching the conductive sensing anode relates inversely with an amount of impurities within the noble gas.

A device for detecting impurities within a noble gas, the device comprising:

• an impurity detection chamber for holding the noble gas in liquid form, the impurity detection chamber comprising:
• a body having a first open end and a distal second open end, the body is hollow and comprises a plurality of conductive elements insulated from each other;
• a conductive cathode affixed at the first end of the body;
• a conductive ground plate affixed at the distal second end of the body;
• a conductive sensing anode within the impurity detection chamber in proximity to and insulated from the conductive ground plate, the conductive sensing anode connected to a conductive sensing lead which is insulated from and passes through the conductive ground plate;
• a high voltage source of direct current whereby a negative potential of the direct current is applied to the conductive cathode and a ground potential of the direct current is applied to the conductive ground plate and the high voltage source is divided into substantially equal-stepped potentials, each of the substantially equal-stepped potentials is connected, in order, to the plurality of conductive elements;
• a pulsed ultraviolet light source;
• and
• a light-transmitting pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end of the light transmitting pipe interfaced to the pulsed ultraviolet light source, the second end of the light transmitting pipe passing through the conductive cathode, thereby transmitting ultraviolet light from the pulsed ultraviolet light source into the impurity detection chamber and onto a photocathode, the photocathode situated on the surface of the second end of the light-transmitting pipe.