Other

Kratos Analytical Limited

Fasmatech Science and Technology LLC

Fasmatech Science and Technology Sa

Krates Analytical Limited

Emmanuel Raptakis

Dimitris Papanastasiou

Andrew Bowdler

Diamantis Kounadis

Alexander Lekkas

Ioannis Orfanopoulos

Ian Brookhouse

Ioannis K Nikolos

A linear ion trap system includes a linear ion trap having at least two discrete trapping regions for processing ions. An RF electrical potential generator produces two RF waveforms applied to a pair of pole electrodes of the linear ion trap forming a RF trapping field component to trap ions radially. A multi-output DC electrical potential generator produces a first set of multiple DC field components superimposed to the RF trapping field component and distributed across the length of the linear ion trap to control ions axially. A control unit is configured to switch the DC electrical potentials and DC field components collectively forming a first trapping region of the at least two discrete trapping regions that is populated with ions to alter ion potential energy from a first level to a second level, and to enable at least a first ion processing step in at least one of the first and second levels.

Segmented linear ion trap for enhanced ion activation and storage

A linear ion trap includes at least two discrete trapping regions for processing ions and at least one gas pulse valve for applying pulses of gas to dynamically control pressure in the at least two discrete trapping regions. A RF electrical potential generator produces two RF waveforms, each applied to a pair of pole electrodes of the linear ion trap forming a RF trapping field component to trap ions radially. A multi-output DC electrical potential generator produces multiple DC field components superimposed to the RF trapping field component and distributed across the length of the linear ion trap to control ions axially. A control unit is configured to switch the DC electrical potentials and corresponding DC field components collectively forming a first trapping region of the at least two discrete trapping regions that is populated with ions to alter ion potential energy from a first level to a second level, and to enable at least a first ion processing step in at least one of the first and second levels.

A linear ion trap includes at least two discrete trapping regions for processing ions, a RF electrical potential generator, a multi-output DC electrical potential generator, and a control unit. The RF electrical potential generator produces two RF waveforms each applied to a pair of pole electrodes of the linear ion trap forming a RF trapping field component to trap ions radially. The multi-output DC electrical potential generator produces multiple DC field components superimposed to the RF field component and distributed across the length of the linear ion trap to control ions axially. The control unit switches the DC electrical potentials and corresponding DC field components collectively forming a first trapping region populated with ions to alter ion potential energy from a first level to a second level, and enables a first ion processing step in at least one of the first and second levels.

Techniques are provided for generating charged droplets of liquid entrained within a gas flow within a vacuum chamber and for controlling the gas flow. The gas flow with the entrained charged droplets of liquid is jetted into the vacuum chamber along a predetermined jetting axis. The gas jet is received within a gas conduit housed within the vacuum chamber and having a conduit bore coaxial with the predetermined jetting axis. The received gas jet is caused to be restrained to form a laminar gas flow entrained with charged droplets inside of the gas conduit for guiding the entrained charged droplets therealong.

Charged droplets generating apparatus including a gas conduit for laminarization of gas flows

A guide apparatus includes a vacuum compartment provided at a background pressure and having a gas inlet opening arranged for jetting a gas in the form of a free jet stream containing entrained ions into a vacuum chamber along a predetermined jetting axis. At least one duct housed within the vacuum chamber has a guide bore positioned coaxially with the jetting axis for receiving the free jet stream such that a supersonic free jet is formed in the duct with a jet pressure ratio P/Prestrained to a value that does not exceed (A/a)to form a subsonic laminar gas flow inside of the duct for guiding the entrained ions, where Pis the pressure at an exit end of the gas inlet opening, Pis the background pressure, A is the cross sectional area of the bore, and a is the cross sectional area of the gas inlet opening.

Control of ions

A mass spectrometer comprises ion pulse means for producing ion pulses in a first vacuum chamber, ion trap means for receiving and trapping the ion pulses for mass analysis in a second vacuum chamber, and ion-optical lens means arranged between the ion pulse means and the ion trap means for receiving the ion pulses and outputting ions therefrom to the ion trap means. A first lens electrode and a second lens electrode collectively define an optical axis and are adapted for distributing a first electrical potential and second electrical potential therealong. Lens control means vary non-periodically with time the first electrical potential relative to the second electrical potential to control as a function of ion mass-to-charge ratio the kinetic energy of ions which have traversed the ion optical lens means. This controls the mass range of the ions receivable by the ion trap from the ion optical lens means.

The present disclosure relates to mass spectrometers and, in particular, multipole ion guides and control units that set the RF and DC potentials at the ion guide to, among other uses, radially confine an ion beam. In an exemplary embodiment, the ion guide includes circumferentially arranged elongated rods disposed about a common axis that form longitudinally traversing segments. At least a first and a second subset of the segments have an equal number of elongated rods and are physically configured to receive respective first and a second set of RF voltage waveforms from a control unit that produce a field distribution of a first order and a field distribution of a second order, respectively, different from the first order. The ratio of the number of rods to the order of the field distribution produced is an integer number.

Ion guide with different order multipolar field order distributions across like segments

A method of pulsing gas in a quadrupole ion trap to reduce excess internal energy of ions formed externally to the trap at high-vacuum conditions by laser desoprtion is disclosed. With pulsed gas introduction, pressures greater than those under which traps are normally operated can be achieved over a few milliseconds. Under these elevated pressure transients, the process of translational cooling is accelerated and ions undergo thermalized collisions before dissociation occurs. Minimization of uncontrolled fragmentation (thermalization) and enhanced sensitivity are observed at pressures exceeding a threshold of about 1 mTorr.

Method and apparatus for thermalization of ions

The present invention provides an ion selector gate having a first deflection zoneand a second deflection zonespaced from the first deflection zone, wherein in use, a single low voltage trigger pulse generated by timing electronics with a width in time equal to or proportional to the width of the gate pulse Tand at a position in time that the ion gate is required to be open to allow through ions of the correct nominal mass. The trigger pulse may go through an inverterand then to two high voltage pulsersand. The high voltage pulsers each produce simultaneously a signal that switches to ground and back on again from the same amplitude high voltage but the opposite polarity. The outputs of the high voltage pulsers are connected to interleaved wires of both ion gates. Thus, the high voltage pulsers are applied simultaneously to both ion gates.

Ion selector

A time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometer includes an ion source which has an extraction lens. The extraction lens has an element with an aperture. The aperture extends through the element to form a through-channel. In use, ions may pass from one side of the element to the opposite side of the element by passing through the through channel. The through channel has a length which is equal to or greater than 8/10 of a diameter of the aperture.

Ion optics system for TOF mass spectrometer

A time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometer includes an ion source which has an extraction lens. The extraction lens has an element with an aperture. The aperture extends through the element to form a through-channel. In use, ions may pass from one side of the element to the opposite side of the element by passing through the through channel. The through channel has a length which is equal to or greater than {fraction (8/10)} of a diameter of the aperture.

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Athens, Greece

Emmanuel Raptakis