Date of Award
12-2003
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Dr. Marc W. Perkovic
Second Advisor
Dr. Brian Buffin
Third Advisor
Dr. Subra Muralidharan
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
This Masters Thesis compared two glow discharge-optical emission spectrometers designed around two different types of detectors: the photomultiplier tube (PMT) and the charge-coupled device (CCD). The two instruments compared were the LECO SA2000 (PMT-based) and the LECO GDS500a (CCD-based). Detection limit, dynamic range, precision, accuracy, and drift were determined to compare the detection systems between 165 and 450nm.
The PMT-based system outperformed the CCD-based system in all five of the categories studied based on the initial protocol. However, it was shown that improvements could be made in four of the five categories studied by exploiting the CCDs ability to monitor the entire wavelength region simultaneously. This ability to collect additional information offers the opportunity to improve and refine the analytical process, which is one of the main reasons why many researchers and scientists have started to exploit the CCD for use as a detector in many venues including glow discharge-optical emission spectroscopy.
Recommended Citation
Broadwater, Robert James, "A Comparative Study of Photomultiplier Tubes and Charge Coupled Devices in Glow Discharge-Optical Emission Spectrometry" (2003). Masters Theses. 1422.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1422