Bruker Daltonik Gmbh

Bruker-franzen Analytik Gmbh

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Bruker Saxonia Analytik Gmbh

Bruker Deltonik Gmbh

Gerhard Weiss

Jochen Franzen

Reemt-Holger Gabling

Gerhard Heinen

Carsten Stoermer

Alfred Kraffert

Oliver Räther

Stefan Klepel

Hans-Rudiger Doring

Roland Schnurpfeil

Jorg Peuker

Armin Holle

Michael Schubert

Dieter Koch

Rainer Spudich

Gerd Menne

Ulrich Geise

Ruediger Frey

The invention relates to a method for damping the kinetic energy of ions in ion cells filled with collision gas and with an exit aperture to drain the ions out of the cell. The invention uses a conditioning cell with an adjustable DC potential which decreases towards the exit aperture to compress the phase volume of the ions by damping their kinetic energies, collecting the ions after thermalization in the spatial potential minimum thus created and letting them drain away relatively slowly through a central potential minimum in the exit aperture system. This facilitates the production of very fine, highly parallel ion beams which consist of almost monoenergetic ions. In particular, the method can also be coupled with a fragmentation of the ions.

Ion-optical phase volume compression

The invention relates to time-of-flight mass spectrometers, equipped with ion reflector and ion detector, with orthogonal ion injection and outpulsing of a segment of the ion beam perpendicular to the direction of injection in a pulser. The invention is directed to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer in which a reflector and an ion detector each have an angular offset about an axis that is perpendicular to the respective directions of injection and deflection. This allows a large distance to be used between the pulser and detector with the highest possible utilization of ions.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometers with orthogonal ion injection

The invention relates to two-dimensional quadrupole systems along whose axis an axial DC field is superimposed. The invention involves coating the hyperbolic or cylindrical surfaces of quadrupole systems with thin insulating layers and metal films thereupon and generating axial potential gradients or saddle ramps using appropriate electrical supply of DC potentials and superimposed RF voltages to the metal films. Systems of this type can be used in a plurality of ways, ranging from mass filters with high transmission to fragmentation cells with extremely low ion losses.

RF quadrupole systems with potential gradients

The invention relates to a device and a method for producing, from any previously configured ion beams, precisely localized small packages of ions which all fly at the same velocity. The invention consists of damping the ions in a damping-gas filled series of apertured diaphragms (which are firstly subjected alternately to the two phases of an RF voltage and secondly to a multiphase low-frequency travelling field voltage) into the axis of the apertured diaphragm arrangement and packaging the ions in bundles which are propelled axially at the same velocity for ions of different specific masses. These ion packages, which are restricted both in an axial and a radial direction, can be used to advantage for injection into different types of mass spectrometer, both storage ion-trap mass spectrometers, such as cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers or quadrupole ion traps and, especially, for time-of-flight mass spectrometers with orthogonal injection. The arrangement of a damping-gas filled series of apertured diaphragms can also be used for ion fragmentation.

Travelling field for packaging ion beams

The invention relates to the construction and operation of a slit diaphragm pulser for a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with orthogonal injection of the ions to be examined. The invention includes switching three diaphragm potentials during a transition from a filling phase to an acceleration phase in order to maintain a potential along the axis of the injected ion beam at a constant level, to prevent any penetration by the accelerating fields during the filling phase and to obtain extremely high mass resolution in the acceleration phase through a lens effect.

Pulsers for time-of-flight mass spectrometers with orthogonal ion injection

The invention relates to a collector which is able to take small samples of possibly hazardous dusts lying scattered on a surface. The invention consists of an evacuated sampling bottle closed with a septum, which is to be provided with a telescopic cap which has a contact plate shaped for removing the dust or liquid sample from a small surface by suction and a needle which can puncture the septum. The sample bottle can be filled with a small amount of liquid to take up the dust. When the sample bottle is held in the hand and the cap is pressed onto a surface which is coated with dust or liquid droplets, the needle punctures the septum and the vacuum sucks some of the dust or liquid droplets into the sample bottle.

Sampler for dust on surfaces

The invention relates to the mass-selective ejection of stored ions from linear ion traps. The invention consists in using nonlinear resonances to enhance the ejection speed.

Nonlinear resonance ejection from linear ion traps

The invention relates to a compact time-of-flight mass spectrometer which enables very accurate mass determinations. The invention consists of a method of producing a high resolution by means of a long flight path, where the ion beam repeatedly sweeps a figure of eight in two opposed cylindrical capacitors, each of 254.56&deg;, and the linear ion beam paths between the cylindrical capacitors are extended virtually by a change in potential so as to cause a time focusing with respect to an initial energy spread.

Compact very high resolution time-of flight mass spectrometer

The invention relates to high performance ion traps used as mass spectrometers which in spite of a variable thermal load require a high constancy of the mass scale calibrated in. Ion traps consist at least of one ring electrode, two end cap electrodes, and suitable fixing elements which determine the distance between the electrodes. When exposed to a thermal load, the parts of the ion trap are subject to thermal expansion, which leads to a change in field intensities even if the applied RF voltage is constant, and thus to an apparant shift of masses. The invention consists of selecting the thermal expansion of the ion trap parts in such a way that when a constant RF voltage is applied, the field intensity within the trap remains constant by first approximation, in spite of the altering geometric form and expansion with changing operating temperature. In this way, displacement of the mass scale is avoided. To compensate an unavoidable thermal expansion .DELTA.r.sub.0 of the ring electrode with an inscribed radius r.sub.0 by a ratio .DELTA.r.sub.0 /r.sub.0, the distance z.sub.0 of the end cap poles from the center of the trap must become smaller by the proportional ratio .DELTA.z.sub.0 /z.sub.0 =-.DELTA.r.sub.0 /r.sub.0. This compensation can be achieved by a suitable design with suitably selected expansion coefficients for the ion trap electrode material and the material of the fixing elements.

Ion trap mass spectrometer of high mass-constancy

The invention relates to a switchable ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) with ring electrodes divided into half-rings, which surround the drift chamber of the IMS. In a first operating condition, the two half-rings of each ring electrode are at the same potential and the various ring electrodes are at different potential varying monotonously along the drift path. In this way, ions are transported in the conventional manner along the drift path. In a second operating mode, the half-rings of the ring electrodes are at different potentials, by which the ions are each deflected toward one of the half-rings. The currents thus resulting are captured by the corresponding half-rings, amplified and an ion mobility spectrum is produced. A favorable design for the IMS can be used in many different modes of operation.

Ion mobility spectrometer with switchable electrodes

An ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) with electric drift fields directed at a central detector electrode. The IMS is rotationally symmetrical and has a disk shape.

Ion mobility spectrometer in a centripetal arrangement

The invention concerns a sampling device for a mobile analysis unit, in particular a mass spectrometer (13), used for the purpose of monitoring chemical substances on ground surfaces. It possesses at least one sampling wheel which revolves around an axle and which consists of a silicone tire (5) for picking up molecules of substances to be monitored and a wheel rim (6) upon which the silicone tire is fitted. The wheel rim (6) is made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. This means that on the one hand contamination of the silicone tire (5) by vapors from the wheel rims (6), in the course of long-term storage of the sampling wheels in airtight, closed storage containers, is prevented. On the other hand, the invention facilitates an advantageous construction of the wheel rim (6), involving the mounting of two, thin-walled rim halves (9) with rivet holes.

Sampling device comprising a revolvable sampling wheel with a metal

An ultra-high vacuum valve for the admission of substance mixtures into an analytical measuring instrument limits the flow path of the substances to as small a flow chamber as possible with controllable chamber wall adsorption properties. The elastic wall sections necessary for movement of the valve piston are located in a mechanical chamber separated from the flow chamber by a wall. The mechanical chamber is evacuated by means of a separate vacuum duct and a seal is used to seal the valve piston where it passes through the wall.

Inlet valve for a high-vacuum analyzer with bypass evacuation

The measuring process for generating mass spectra using a sequentially-scanned quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer, is improved by controlling the measurement of the ion packages ejected from the ion trap so that measurement takes place starting at the anticipated exit times of the ion packages and measurement continues only as far as possible for a time duration corresponding to the length of the ion packages. Measuring only during ion package ejection enables a measurement for the total number of ejected ions having a selected mass to be obtained by means of digital addition of the individual package measurements. Subsequent processing of the data can be carried out with practically only the fluctuations of normal ion counting statistics.

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Weyhe, Germany

Gerhard Weiss