Water vapour is a hard to eliminate contaminant for the speciality gases industry. Within a European market set to be worth more than €20 BN a year by 2027, ultra-pure gases, such as argon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, are valued for protecting processes such as semiconductor manufacturing, where optimising failure rates offers prized competitive advantage. Trace water contamination of just a few parts per billion (ppb) can result in circuit failures and presents a significant measurement challenge for gas producers and analytical instrument makers. The project will develop a range of optical methods down to 5 ppb, a primary method to measure amount fractions down to 5 ppb, and validate hygrometers down to -105 °C. The resulting new sensors and primary standards will offer improved measurement accuracy for gas producers and analytical instrument makers, and confer competitive advantage for European high-technology industries.
Contributing scientific sectors
