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The Chemical Exhaust Hazards of Dichlorosilane Deposits Determined with FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry

Jarek, Russell L.; Thornberg, Steven M.

Flammable deposits have been analyzed from the exhaust systems of tools employing dichlorosilane (DCS) as a processing gas. Exact mass determinations with a high-resolution Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer allowed the identification of various polysiloxane species present in such an exhaust flow. Ion-molecule reactions indicate the preferred reaction pathway of siloxane formation is through HCl loss, leading to the highly reactive polysiloxane that was detected in the flammable deposits.