Implant Sciences Corporation

Leidos Security Detection & Automation, Inc.

L3 Technologies, Inc.

Dmitriy Ivashin

Said Boumsellek

Andrew Anderson

Hacene Boudries

Saïd Boumsellek

Troy Velazquez

Anatoly Lazarevich

Troy A Velazquez

Säid Boumsellek

Anatoly Lazerevich

A chemical trace detection system includes: a drift tube; a detector disposed within the drift tube; a voltage source to produce an electrical field in the drift tube; an ionizer to establish an ionization region adjacent to the electrical field; and a desorber including a sample holder to hold a sample in or adjacent to the ionization region and a sample heater to desorb particles of the sample held in the sample holder such that the desorbed particles are introduced directly into the ionization region from the sample holder to form ionized particles that are forced toward the detector by the electrical field. A regenerable dryer assembly for supplying dry drift gas to an ion mobility spectrometer is also provided that includes a regenerable dessicant material.

Chemical trace detection system

A chemical trace detection system includes: a drift tube; a detector disposed within the drift tube; a voltage source to produce an electrical field in the drift tube; an ionizer to establish an ionization region adjacent to the electrical field; and a desorber including a sample holder to hold a sample in or adjacent to the ionization region and a sample heater to desorb particles of the sample held in the sample holder such that the desorbed particles are introduced directly into the ionization region from the sample holder to form ionized particles that are forced toward the detector by the electrical field. A regenerable dryer assembly for supplying dry drift gas to an ion mobility spectrometer is also provided that includes a regenerable desiccant material.

An ion mobility spectrometer includes a drift tube, a plurality of sensors arranged at one end of the drift tube that provide signals corresponding to ions impinging on the sensors, and a multi-channel data acquisition system, coupled to each of the sensors, that compensates for delays experienced by ions that are farther from a main axis of drift tube prior to combining the signals from the sensors. The sensors may be electrically biased so that a particular one of the sensors that attracts ions is adjacent to one or more of the sensors that do not attract ions. Signals from adjacent sensors may be subtracted to reduce signal values corresponding to mirror current. The plurality of sensors may be arranged as a honeycomb or as a plurality of concentric circles.

Multi-channel ion mobility spectrometer

A tandem instrument using a variable frequency pulsed ionization source and two separation techniques, low (IMS) and high (FAIMS) field mobility is provided. The analytical stage features a field driven FAIMS cell embedded on-axis within the IMS drift tube. The FAIMS cell includes two parallel grids of approximately the same diameter as the IMS rings and can be placed anywhere along the drift tube and biased according to their location in the voltage divider ladder to create the same IMS field. The spacing between the grids constitutes the analytical gap where ions are subject, in addition to the drift field, to the asymmetric dispersive field of the FAIMS. The oscillatory motion performed during the high and low voltages of the asymmetric waveform separates the ions according to the difference in their mobilities.

Ion mobility spectrometer device with embedded faims

Devices and techniques for ion analysis, including ion mobility separation and mass spectrometry, are provided using a dual polarity spark ion source and having the flexibility required to optimize the detection performance for a broad range of illicit substances with different physical and chemical properties. In various embodiments, the volatility and electro-chemical aspects may be addressed by the system described herein by performing real-time detection of compounds detectable in both positive and negative polarities and/or prioritizing spectra acquisition in a given polarity due to the high volatility and therefore short residence of certain target compounds.

Dual polarity spark ion source

For ion mobility spectrometry applications, a desired shape of a sensor structure may be created by forming a desired shape from a ceramic material, such as aluminum nitride. In various embodiments, the sensor structure may be formed using discrete individual ceramic sheets and/or from a preformed ceramic tube. Via holes are formed into the sensor structure to provide for efficient circuitry configurations of the IMS drift tube and/or providing electrical connections between the interior and exterior of the drift tube.

Miniature sensor structures for ion mobility spectrometers

Using combined orthogonal techniques, such as low (IMS) and high (FAIMS) field mobility techniques, offers several advantages to ion detection and analysis techniques including low cost, no vacuum required, and the generation of 2-D spectra for enhanced detection and identification. Two analytical devices may be operated in different modes, which results in overall flexibility by adapting the hyphenated instrument to the application's requirements. With the IMS-FAIMS hardware level flexibility, the instruments may be configured and optimized to exploit different trade-offs suitable for a variety of detection scenarios of for different lists of target compounds.

Chemical analysis using hyphenated low and high field ion mobility

Selective ionization at atmospheric or near atmospheric pressure of a sample diluted in air is provided in multiple steps. Initially, components of air and/or other gas are ionized to generate reactive ions. The reactive ions are then filtered using a high frequency filter to yield selected reactive ions. Thereafter, the selected reactive ions are reacted with sample molecules of a sample being analyzed in a charge transfer process. Depending on the properties of the sample molecules, the filter may select some reactive ions to enter the sample zone and block others entirely thus controlling ion chemistry and charge transfer yields in the sample zone. The described system is directed to controlling ions at the ion source level, using a high frequency filter technique, in connection with subsequent analysis. The method generates the ions of choice for subsequent analysis in such platforms as ion mobility and differential mobility spectrometers.

Selective ionization using high frequency filtering of reactive ions

A system and method for producing a continuous or pulsed source of high energy electrons at or near atmospheric pressure is disclosed. High energy electrons are used to ionize analyte molecules in ambient air through collisions with reactant ions. The device includes an electron emitter, electron optics, and a thin membrane in an evacuated tube. The electron emitter may include a photocathode surface mounted on an optically transparent window and an external source of UV photons. The transparent window may include a UV transparent window mounted on an evacuated tube and/or the evacuated tube may be a transparent tube on which a photocathode surface film is deposited. The electron optics may include successive electrodes biased at increasing voltages. The membrane may include a material transparent or semi-transparent to energetic electrons. Upon impacting the membrane, continuous or pulsed electron packets are partially transmitted through to a high pressure ionization region.

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Peabody, MA, United States of America

Dmitriy Ivashin