Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Company

Other

Curt Alan Flory

Richard Lawrence Baer

Mihail Sigalas

Gershon Perelman

Robert C Taber

Carl A Myerholtz

Trygve Ristroph

Tong Chen

Richard Stanley Williams

Dustin Chang

Wayne V Sorin

Daniel Bernardo Roitman

Laura Wills Mirkarimi

Douglas Michael Baney

Steven Michael Fischer

Phillip W Barth

Annette Claire Grot

William R Trutna, Jr

Arthur Schleifer

Richard J Pittaro

Stuart Carl Hansen

Rolfe C Anderson

May Tom-Moy

Rodney S Tucker

Carol Jean Wilson

Waguih S Ishak

Rick Pittaro

Kent D Henry

Philip W Barth

Derek Stein

Pallevi Srivastva

An ion guide includes electrodes elongated along an axis from an entrance end to an exit end and spaced around the axis to surround an interior. The electrodes have polygonal shapes with inside surfaces disposed at a radius from the axis and having an electrode width tangential to a circle inscribed by the electrodes. An aspect ratio of the electrode width to the radius varies along the axis. The electrodes are configured to generate a two-dimensional RF electrical field in the interior having a multipole composition comprising one or more lower-order multipole components and one or more higher-order multipole components and varying along the axis in accordance with the varying aspect ratio, and having an RF voltage amplitude that varies along the axis.

Ion guide with varying multipoles

An electrostatic lens for transporting charged particles in an axial direction includes a first group of first electrodes configured to receive a first DC potential from a DC voltage source, and a second group of second electrodes configured to receive a second DC potential from the DC voltage source different from the first DC potential. The first electrodes are interdigitated with the second electrodes. The first group and/or the second group has a geometric feature that progressively varies along the axial direction. The lens generates an axial potential profile that progressively changes along the axial direction, and thereby reduces geometrical aberrations. The lens may be part of a charged particle processing apparatus such as, for example, a mass spectrometer or an electron microscope.

Axially progressive lens for transporting charged particles

A microfluidic apparatus for separating a droplet of an emulsion in a microfluidic environment is described. The microfluidic apparatus includes a flow cell comprising a first microfluidic channel configured for flowing a first fluid through the flow cell and a second microfluidic channel configured for flowing a stream of a second fluid through the flow cell. The microfluidic apparatus further comprises a first electrode positioned at the first microfluidic channel and a second electrode positioned at the second microfluidic channel on an opposite side of the interface with respect to the first electrode. The first electrode, the second electrode, and the first and second microfluidic channels are configured to generate a non-uniform electric field gradient in the microfluidic apparatus.

Microfluidic dielectrophoretic droplet extraction

The invention relates generally to methods and apparatus that gravitationally transfer cells from a first medium to a second medium. More specifically, the invention relates to a novel microfluidic device. The microfluidic device includes a cell transfer region, a cell settling channel, a waste channel, a cell output channel, and an input medium channel. The cell settling channel, the waste channel, and the cell output channel extend from, are in fluid communication with, and are smaller in cross section than the cell transfer region. The cell output channel is substantially perpendicular to the cell settling channel and to the waste channel. The input medium channel extends from and is in fluid communication with the cell output channel.

Methods and apparatus to facilitate gravitational cell extraction

A droplet-based microfluidic device having a first confining plate, a second confining plate, and an actuator. Each confining plate includes a respective substrate and hydrophobic layer having a planar major surface. The first confining plate additionally includes a common electrode between its hydrophobic layer and substrate. The second confining plate includes an electrode array between its hydrophobic layer and substrate. The confining plates are disposed opposite one another with their major surfaces separated from one another by a gap. The actuator is to impart oscillatory sliding motion between the confining plates in a direction principally parallel to the major surfaces. The oscillatory sliding motion effectively allows voltages applied between the common electrode and the electrodes of the electrode array to move a microfluidic droplet located in the gap across the major surfaces without sticking.

Droplet actuation enhancement using oscillatory sliding motion between substrates in microfluidic devices

In a tandem mass spectrometry system, a first mass analyzer filters parent ions using a wide mass passband with a narrow rejection notch defined according to a modulation format. A wide mass range of parent ions is transmitted to an ion fragmentation device. Daughter ions produced thereby are transmitted to a second mass analyzer to produce a daughter ion mass spectrum. The modulation of the measured daughter ion mass spectrum, when correlated with the passband modulation of the first mass analyzer (i.e., parent ion spectrum), allows definitive identification of each daughter mass peak with the appropriate parent ion. Due to the wide mass passband, the ion detector signal is in proportion to the increased ion flux passed by the first mass analyzer.

Methods and apparatus for increased ion throughput in tandem mass spectrometers

The invention provides an apparatus and method for sequencing and identifying a biopolymer. The invention provides a first electrode, a second electrode, a first gate electrode, a second gate electrode, a gate voltage source and a potential means. The gate electrodes may be ramped by a voltage source to search and determine a resonance level between the first electrode, biopolymer and second electrode. The potential means that is in electrical connection with the first electrode and the second electrode is maintained at a fixed voltage. A method of biopolymer sequencing and identification is also disclosed.

Biopolymer resonant tunneling with a gate voltage source

A mass analyzer comprises a pair of planar electrode structures. The electrode structures are disposed opposite to each other, parallel to each other, and axially offset from each other. The electrode structures are configured to generate, in response to an applied voltage, a cylindrically-symmetric, annular electric field comprising an annular radially focusing central lens region surrounding an axis of symmetry, and an annular mirror region surrounding the annular radially focusing central lens region.

Central lens for cylindrical geometry time-of-flight mass spectrometer

A mass analyzer comprises a pair of planar electrode structures. The electrode structures are disposed opposite one another, parallel to one another, and axially offset from one another. One of the pair of planar electrodes comprises an opening. The mass analyzer comprises an ion mirror disposed between the pair of planar electrodes. A mass spectrometer and a mass spectrometry method are also described.

Mass spectrometer and mass analyzer comprising pulser

The mass spectrometer includes a mass analyzer having a pair of planar electrode structures. The electrode structures are disposed opposite one another, parallel to one another, and axially offset from one another, and are structured to generate, in response to a common pattern of voltages applied to them, a cylindrically-symmetric, annular electric field surrounding a cylindrical central region. The electric field includes an annular axially focusing lens region surrounding the central region, and an annular mirror region surrounding the lens region. Ions injected tangentially in the central region towards the electric field reach an ion detector after executing a number of ellipse-like orbits, which enables a long flight path to be accommodated within a small evacuated space.

Cylindrical geometry time-of-flight mass spectrometer

A whispering gallery mode dielectric resonator includes a conductive enclosure comprising a top, a bottom and walls. The resonator also includes a dielectric element disposed in the enclosure and operative to support a desired resonant mode that is dependent on a shape and dimensions of the dielectric resonator; and a mode selective coupling structure disposed over the enclosure and configured to selectively couple electromagnetic energy of the desired mode and configured not to substantially couple electromagnetic energy of a spurious mode supported in a region between the enclosure and the dielectric element.

Mode selective coupler for whispering-gallery dielectric resonator

A linear ion trap traps a plurality of charged particles in a charged particle trap including first and second electrode mirrors arranged along an axis at opposite ends of the particle trap, the electrode mirrors being capable, when voltage is applied thereto, of creating respective electric fields configured to reflect charged particles causing oscillation of the particles between the mirrors. The method includes: (a) introducing into the charged particle trap the plurality of charged particles, the particles having a spread in the oscillation time of the particles per oscillation; (b) applying voltage to the electrode mirrors during step (a) to induce a relatively weak self-bunching of the charged particles; and (c) after the plurality of charged particles has been introduced into the charged particle trap, waiting for a time period &#x394;T and then changing the voltage so as to induce a relatively stronger self-bunching among the charged particles.

Adiabatically-tuned linear ion trap with fourier transform mass spectrometry with reduced packet coalescence

In accordance with the invention, resonant quantum tunneling microscopy allows surface imaging while allowing characterization of physical properties associated with the surface.

Scanning microscopy using resonant quantum tunneling

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for identifying and sequencing a biopolymer translocating a nanopore. The apparatus of the present invention provides a first electrode, a second electrode and a potential means for applying a bias ramping potential across the electrodes to produce resonant tunneling of current carriers between the two electrodes. As the bias potential is ramped across the electrodes the increase in tunneling current occurs as the carrier energy sequentially matches the conduction band energies of the translocating biopolymer. This technique allows for real-time identification and sequencing of a biopolymer as the band energy spectra of the individual portions of the bipolymer are recorded, differentiated and identified. A method for identifying the biopolymer is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Curt Alan Flory