Manufacturer of PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzers for real-time VOC measurement down to the sub-pptv range
Ionicon Analytik Gesellschaft m.b.H.
6020 Innsbruck, AustriaNew on Amplifa
About IONICON
IONICON is a manufacturer founded in 1998 in Innsbruck of real-time trace gas analyzers based on PTR-MS technology (Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry), which was developed at the University of Innsbruck. The portfolio includes the PTR-TOF analyzer series with mass resolutions of over 1,500 to over 10,000 m/Δm, the FUSION series with detection limits below 0.2 pptv, the modular ioniTOF TOF platform for research and OEM integration, and the automated monitors VOCentinel and AMCentinel. The instruments are complemented by sampling and calibration solutions (CHARON, BET, N.A.S.E., LCU, PerMaSCal), software, and custom-built analyzers including aircraft and mobile lab integration. Application fields include semiconductor cleanrooms, air quality monitoring, environmental and atmospheric research, occupational safety, petrochemicals, and food, flavor and fragrance applications. More than 700 instruments have been delivered worldwide, including to NASA aircraft and at CERN. Development, production, and support take place at headquarters in Innsbruck.
- Site
- Innsbruck, Austria
- Processes
- PTR-MS (Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry) real-time trace gas analysis, SRI-MS (Selective Reagent Ionization) with reagent ions H3O+, NO+, O2+, NH4+, Kr+, Xe+, CO3-, Automated AMC monitoring (Airborne Molecular Contamination) for semiconductor cleanrooms, FOUP, Automated air quality/fenceline/occupational safety monitoring (VOCentinel), Online aerosol analysis (CHARON particle inlet, VOC/IVOC/SVOC/LVOC), Analytical services / Custom-built analyzers (custom-built analytical instruments,, Calibration service (Liquid Calibration Unit, PerMaSCal, Internal Calibration System), FastGC gas chromatographic pre-separation as add-on
- Materials
- Fused silica (quartz glass), PTFE (Teflon), PEEK, Halocarbon (PerMaSCal calibration compound)
- Certificates
- Ökoprofit
- Founded
- 1998
- Industries
- Semiconductor/Cleanroom (AMC), Air quality monitoring, Environmental/Atmospheric research, Industrial Safety & Fenceline Monitoring, Food, Flavor & Fragrance, Medical breath gas analysis
- 01
R&D and system design
- 02
Instrument production and assembly in Innsbruck
- 03
Calibration and testing
- 04
Custom integration (aircraft, mobile lab)
- 05
Worldwide support and training
Technologies and Materials
Fused silica (quartz glass)
110-cm quartz glass tube (8 L) as the core of the ILOx laminar-flow oxidation reactor for photochemical SOA experiments.
PTFE (Teflon)
Inert sampling material for interchangeable tubing in the N.A.S.E. nosespace inlet and for sample lines.
PEEK
Inert valve and tubing material in multiplexing inlet systems for flow-selective sampling.
Locations
Innsbruck
ATHeadquarters, production, R&D (R&D hub >400 m²)
- Part weight / size
- Instruments < 200 kg (FUSION PTR-TOF 20 ~200 kg)
- Lot size
- Small series; custom one-off builds
- Materials
- Quartz glass, PTFE, PEEK
- PTR-TOF-MS production line (1000 to 10k)
- FUSION PTR-TOF manufacturing
- ioniTOF modular TOF platform
- VOCentinel/AMCentinel assembly
- Calibration lab (LCU, ICS, PerMaSCal)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTR-MS (Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry) real-time trace gas analysisTesting | – | – | – | – | VOC (volatile organic compounds), inorganic gases (CO, CO2, NO2, SO2, CH4), halogen species, organic acids, amines, siloxanes, aromatics |
| SRI-MS (Selective Reagent Ionization) with reagent ions H3O+, NO+, O2+, NH4+, Kr+, Xe+, CO3-Testing | Detection limit < 1 pptv | – | – | – | VOC, alkanes, aldehydes, ketones, HOMs, organic nitrates, peroxides, amines, inorganic acids (SO2, H2SO4, HNO3), perfluorinated carboxylic acids |
| Automated AMC monitoring (Airborne Molecular Contamination) for semiconductor cleanrooms, FOUPTesting | Detection limit in the low ppt range; ammonia < 0.1 ppb | – | – | – | AMC (solvents, condensables, refractives, |
| Automated air quality/fenceline/occupational safety monitoring (VOCentinel)Testing | Detection limit < 5 pptv (60 s) | – | – | – | amines, aldehydes, ketones, alkenes, monoterpenes, siloxanes, aromatics, sulfur compounds |
| Online aerosol analysis (CHARON particle inlet, VOC/IVOC/SVOC/LVOC)Testing | Detection limit < 100 pg m-3 (organic particles); upper | – | – | – | organic sub-µm particles, PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) |
| Analytical services / Custom-built analyzers (custom-built analytical instruments,Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Calibration service (Liquid Calibration Unit, PerMaSCal, Internal Calibration System)Testing | Concentrations from ppt to % | – | – | – | ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, amines, terpenes, organic acids, esters, propofol, caffeine, indole, halocarbon (PerMaSCal) |
| FastGC gas chromatographic pre-separation as add-onTesting | – | – | – | – | isomers (e.g. monoterpenes), aldehydes, ethanol-containing matrices |
| Photochemical oxidation experiments / SOA studies (ILOx laminar-flow oxidation reactor)Engineering | OH exposure up to ~10^11 cm-3s; O3 0–3 ppmv | – | – | – | o-xylene, limonene, toluene, isopropyl nitrite (IPN), HONO, ammonium sulfate particles |
22 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzer PTR-TOF 1000 | IONICON PTR-TOF 1000 | – | External dimensions 60x91x80 cm; resolution > 1500 m/Δm; weight < 125-130 kg | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzer PTR-TOF 3000 | IONICON PTR-TOF 3000 | – | 60x91x80 cm; > 3000 m/Δm; < 135 kg | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzer PTR-TOF 4000 | IONICON PTR-TOF 4000 | – | 60x91x80 cm; > 4000 m/Δm; < 135 kg | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzer PTR-TOF 5000 | IONICON PTR-TOF 5000 | – | 60x91x87 cm; > 5000 m/Δm; < 145 kg | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzer PTR-TOF 6000 | IONICON PTR-TOF 6000 | – | 60x91x87 cm; > 6000 m/Δm; < 145 kg | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| PTR-TOFMS trace gas analyzer PTR-TOF 10k | IONICON PTR-TOF 10k | – | 60x135x80 cm; > 10000 m/Δm; < 180 kg | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| FUSION PTR-TOF 10 trace gas analyzer | IONICON FUSION PTR-TOF 10 | – | 60x135x80 cm; > 10000 m/Δm (up to 15000); > 40000 cps/ppbv (up to 80000); LoD < 0.2 pptv; ~185 kg | 2021 (Laun | Innsbruck, Austria |
| FUSION PTR-TOF 20 trace gas analyzer | IONICON FUSION PTR-TOF 20 | – | 60x175x80 cm; > 20000 m/Δm (up to 25000); LoD < 1 pptv; < 200 kg | 2025 (Laun | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Automated VOC monitor VOCentinel (19" rackmount or benchtop PTR-TOF) | IONICON VOCentinel | – | 48x80x66 cm; > 3500 m/Δm; LoD < 5 pptv; ~90 kg; < 500 W; based on PTR-TOF 3000 | 2025 (Laun | Innsbruck, Austria |
| AMC monitor AMCentinel for the semiconductor industry (19" rackmount) | IONICON AMCentinel | – | > 3500 m/Δm (TOF 3000); LoD in the low ppt range; < 60 s recipe cycle | 2025 (Laun | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Modular TOF-MS ioniTOF 1000 | IONICON ioniTOF 1000 | – | Flight path 30-40 cm; > 1000 m/Δm | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Modular TOF-MS ioniTOF 4000 | IONICON ioniTOF 4000 | – | Flight path 70-80 cm; > 4000 m/Δm | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Modular TOF-MS ioniTOF 6000 | IONICON ioniTOF 6000 | – | Flight path 110-120 cm; > 6000 m/Δm | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Modular TOF-MS ioniTOF 10k | IONICON ioniTOF 10k | – | Flight path 170-180 cm; > 10000 m/Δm | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| APi-TOF mass spectrometer (Atmospheric Pressure Interface) | IONICON ioniAPi-TOF | – | Resolution 500 to over 10000 m/Δm; polarity switching < 10 s; hexapole ION-GUIDE | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Laminar-flow oxidation reactor ILOx | IONICON ILOx | – | 110 cm quartz glass tube, 8 L inner volume; 300 W UVA LED (365 nm), UVC 185 nm, UVC LEDs 275 nm; | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Liquid Calibration Unit (LCU) | IONICON LCU | – | Evaporation chamber up to 250°C; dynamic range 100; ppt to % | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Autosampler for PTR-MS (head-space analysis) | IONICON Autosampler for PTR-MS | – | up to 270 vials (10/20 ml) | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Breath gas sampling inlet BET (Buffered End-Tidal) | IONICON BET | – | Buffer volume approx. 30 ml | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Nosespace sampling inlet N.A.S.E. | IONICON N.A.S.E. | – | heated up to 130°C internally | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
| CHARON particle inlet (real-time aerosol inlet) | IONICON CHARON | – | Sub-µm particles; detection limit < 100 pg m-3 to 1 mg m-3 | 2017 (Einf | Innsbruck, Austria |
| Permeation source PerMaSCal for TOF mass scale calibration | IONICON PerMaSCal | – | Signals at m/z > 300 | – | Innsbruck, Austria |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certification
Every instrument is calibrated before delivery; calibration solutions such as the Liquid Calibration Unit, Internal Calibration System and PerMaSCal ensure traceability from ppt to %. PerMaSCal provides constant reference signals at m/z > 300 for TOF mass scale calibration.
| Evidence | Innsbruck |
|---|---|
| Ökoprofit |
Company History
- 1998
Founded by students and supervisors of the University of Innsbruck to commercialize PTR-MS technology.
- 2007
First PTR-TOF-MS system and first automated industrial VOC monitoring solution.
- 2009
First sub-pptv detection limits with a series instrument; introduction of SRI (Selective Reagent Ionization).
- 2014
Launch of PTR-TOF 1000 – first in-house developed time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ioniTOF).
- 2017
Migration of all instruments to the ioniTOF platform; introduction of the CHARON particle inlet.
- 2021
500th PTR-MS instrument delivered, production output increased by 75%, launch of FUSION PTR-TOF 10.
- 2022
Austrian Export Prize in Gold and 3rd place Houskapreis All Stars.
- 2024
Opening of the central R&D hub (over 400 m², solar powered).
- 2025
700th instrument delivered, launch of FUSION PTR-TOF 20 and VOCentinel, 3rd place in 'Austria's Leading Company'.
- 2026
Ökoprofit certification; award of the Austrian Federal Coat of Arms ('State-Awarded Company').