Copper (Cu) is widely used due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity, strong corrosion resistance, excellent workability and moderate strength. It is one of the few metals used most commonly in its pure form, and ultra-pure copper specifically is the standard material used in the bonding wire of most integrated circuits and the cables for audio devices. However, the presence of impurities, such as bromine (Br), in high-purity copper reduces its electrical and thermal conductivity to varying degrees and is a limiting factor on the material’s quality.

This work demonstrates the ability of the NexION^® 5000 Multi-Quadrupole ICP-MS to accurately measure bromine in high-purity copper by removing the copper-based interference on bromine.