Thermo Finnigan LLC

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Adrian Land

Mark E Hardman

Lee Earley

Gershon Perelman

Michael W Senko

Stuart Carl Hansen

Stephen Charles Davis

Michael G Konicek

Rexford T Heller

Mark Hardman

Michael Konicek

Ion sources for use in mass spectrometry (MS) systems are described. The ion sources each comprise an ion funnel and an ionization source configured to ionize neutral analyte molecules.

Ion source for mass spectrometers

Auxiliary electrodes for creating drag fields may be provided as arrays of finger electrodes on thin substrates such as printed circuit board material for insertion between main RF electrodes of a multipole. A progressive range of voltages can be applied along lengths of the auxiliary electrodes by implementing a voltage divider that utilizes static resisters interconnecting individual finger electrodes of the arrays. Dynamic voltage variations may be applied to individual finger electrodes or to groups of the finger electrodes.

Auxiliary drag field electrodes

A method of controlling the population of ions in a mass spectrometer in which a first sample of ions is provided in the mass spectrometer, a measure of abundance of a species of interest in the first sample of ions is determined, the measure of abundance comprising an intensity value, and a second sample of ions is introduced into the mass spectrometer. The second sample of ions is introduced in an amount determined at least in part on the measure of abundance of the species of interest in the first sample of ions.

Method and apparatus for controlling the ion population in a mass spectrometer

Disclosed are a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and signal processing electronics. The signal processing electronics include a plurality of time-to-digital converters configured to receive signal pulses from the same detector anode within the time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The signal processing electronics are further configured to differentiate, and compensate for, those signal pulses caused by the detection of more than one ion. Differentiation and compensation are achieved by using the time-to-digital converters to detect the leading and trailing edges of a signal pulse. The time difference between the detection of the leading edge and detection of the trailing edge is indicative of whether or not the signal pulse was generated by the detection of more than one ion.

Leading edge/trailing edge TOF detection

An apparatus that comprises material which have different thermal expansion coefficients, combined in such a way that the length of the drift region is variant, and self adjusting with temperature. The adjustment is such as to compensate for the length changes resulting from thermal expansion or contraction in other ion optical elements, such that ions of substantially equivalent mass to charge ratios maintain a constant flight time though the system. This allows for use of standard construction methods for the ion optical elements.

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San Carlos, CA, United States of America

Adrian Land