Full company details
McPHERSON
7 Stuart Rd., Ste. A
Chelmsford, MA 01824-4107
United States
Phone: +1 978-256-4512
Fax: +1 978-250-8625
Toll-free: +1 800-255-1055
Gas Purging Keeps UV Spectrophotometers Healthy
Author: Dr. Adam Wise and David Riley
Monday, October 16, 2017
Measuring in the far-UV (FUV) 120-220 nm presents unique challenges. The high energy that makes UV light interesting can cause photochemical formation of organic films on optical surfaces. These films cause increasing, wavelength-dependent loss of performance. To control the growth of organic films, UV measurements can be made in an inert gas atmosphere (typically nitrogen) rather than under vacuum. Nitrogen gas in UV spectrophotometers reduces contaminant desorption and photopolymerization, without decreasing optical performance.