Varian Australia Pty Ltd

Other

Analytik Jena Ag

Varian Australian Pty Ltd

Analytik Jena Gmbh

Agilent Technologies Australia Pty Ltd

Iouri Kalinitchenko

Peter Zdaril

Petr Zdaril

There is provided an interface for use in sampling ions in a mass spectrometer, the interface being arranged for receiving a quantity of ions from an ion source and forming more than one ion beam therefrom, each ion beam being directed along a respective desired pathway.

Interface for mass spectrometry apparatus

There is provided an ion guide arrangement comprising a guide assembly comprising a plurality of elongate members arranged so as to be spaced about a common axis. The elongate members are capable of being in electrical association with one another so as to guide a stream of ions along an intended pathway substantially aligned with the axis. The or each elongate member is shaped at or near an end of the ion guide assembly so as to define a region capable of receiving a quantity of ions, whereby the or each elongate member is so shaped so as the region converges substantially toward the axis.

Mass spectrometry

There is provided a sampling interface for use with a mass spectrometry apparatus. The sampling interface is arranged so as to enable the sampling of ions in a mass spectrometer. In one aspect, the sampling interface comprises an inlet for receiving a quantity of ions from an ion source, and a region downstream of the inlet for accommodating a gas through which the ions may pass, wherein a field having a selected bias voltage potential is provided in at least a portion of the downstream region through which the ions may pass.

Electrically connected sample interface for mass spectrometer

There is provided an ion deflector for use with a mass spectrometer for directing a flow of ions between two distinct axes of travel. The ion deflector includes an electric field inducer arranged so as to establish at least one electrostatic field capable of deflecting ions travelling substantially along a first intended path of travel so as to travel substantially along a second intended path of travel.

Ion deflector for a mass spectrometer

There is provided an ion reflector for use with a mass spectrometer for directing a flow of ions between two distinct axes of travel. The reflector includes an electric field capable of causing a flow of ions focused through a first spatial region to be focused toward a second spatial region, whereby the first and second spatial regions are aligned with respective axes of travel.

There is provided a mass spectrometry apparatus comprising: an ion source arranged in a substantially horizontal orientation and from which a quantity of ions may be sourced, an ion filter device arranged for receiving a stream of ions for filtering thereof; and, an ion guide arranged so as to guide ions sourced from the ion source toward the ion filter device. The ion source and the ion filter device are arranged relative to one another so that the profile of the apparatus is reduced so as to minimize the effective footprint of the apparatus.

Mass spectrometry apparatus

An electrode for use in a reduced pressure region in a mass spectrometer whereby the electrode is subject to deposition of dielectric (non-conducting) substances thereon, which can cause unstable performance of the mass spectrometer. The surface portion of the electrode that is for providing an equipotential boundary of an electric field for influencing charged particles is made rough, in contrast to the prior art of providing a polished surface. The rough surface provides projections and cavities, which may have a regular or irregular occurrence, which it has been found significantly reduces the deposition of dielectric substances from the charged particles thereon. A preferred structure is for a rod electrode () to have a screw thread () formed thereon whereby the thread crests () along the rod electrode provide projections () and the thread roots () provide cavities.

Electrode for mass spectrometry

A mass spectrometer in which a substance is introduced into a plasma () which contains analyte ions as the plasma () is passing through an aperture (), for example in a skimmer cone () between two vacuum regions () and () so that the substance interacts with the plasma () thereby reducing the concentration of interfering polyatomic or multicharged ions in the plasma by reactive or collisional interactions. The substance may be supplied via passage () having an outlet () in skimmer cone (). The invention gives improved attenuation of interfering ions because the substance is supplied directly into the plasma () as it is substantially radially confined by aperture () and before an ion beam () is extracted. Alternatively or additionally a substance may be supplied directly into the plasma within aperture () in sampling cone ().

Mass spectrometry apparatus and method

A plasma source mass spectrometer () having an ion beam extraction electrode () associated with a skimmer cone () to restrict the pumping of gas from a region () immediately behind the skimmer cone orifice () to provide a higher pressure (e.g. 1&#x2013;10Torr) in the region () compared to the pressure downstream of the electrode () (e.g. 10&#x2013;10Torr). This provides a collisional gas volume () for plasma () for attenuating polyatomic and multicharged interfering ions prior to extraction of an ion beam (). In one embodiment a substance (e.g. hydrogen) can be supplied into the region () to assist attenuation of polyatomic and multicharged interfering ions by reactive or collisional interactions.

Plasma mass spectrometer

A mass spectrometer and method of mass spectrometry in which polyatomic and doubly charged ion interferences are attenuated by establishing an electron population through which a beam of particles containing elemental sample ions and the interfering ions is passed such that the interfering ions preferentially undergo ion-electron recombination and thus dissociation to remove a significant number of the interfering ions. Means (or) for providing a population of electrons (or) in an ICP-MS () may comprise a magnetic field means such as an electric coil, or an electron generating device. The population of electrons has an electron number density (&#x3e;10cmto 10cm), a free electron energy (&#x3e;0.01 eV to &#x3c;5 eV) in a region at a low pressure (&#x3c;10 Torr), such that for a predetermined path length (1&#x2013;4 cm) of the ions through the electron population, the interfering ions will preferentially be attenuated by the dissociative recombination process. The ion beam () then passes to a mass analyser () and ions which have been separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio are detected by ion detector ().

Apparatus and method for elemental mass spectrometry

A mass spectrometer having an ion optics system in a first vacuum region, which diverts ions travelling in a first direction from a source, characterized by an initial pressure, through an angle such that neutral particles and photons from the source continue in the first direction and are removed. The diverted ion beam is then directed into a quadrupole mass analyzer arrangement in a second vacuum region, which comprises a set of fringe electrodes followed by a linear mass analyzer and then an ion detector. The first vacuum region is characterized by a pressure intermediate the initial pressure and a second vacuum region pressure. The set of quadrupole fringe electrodes are configured to divert the ion beam prior to passage of the ion beam into the linear quadrupole mass analyzer and to shield the linear quadrupole mass analyzer entrance from a substantial portion of the trajectory of the ion beam in the first vacuum region.

Mass spectrometer including a quadrupole mass analyzer arrangement

A mass spectrometer having an ion reflecting instead of ion transmissive optics system. The spectrometer includes an ion source ( ) for providing a beam of sample particles including ions along an axis ( ). Its ion optics system ( ) establishes a reflecting electrostatic field for reflecting ions along a path ( ) from the particle beam and focussing them at an entrance aperture ( ) of a mass analyser ( ) and ion detector ( ) for spectrometric analysis. The invention allows more efficient separation of ions from neutral particles, gives better signal to noise ratios and allows for a compact &ldquo;optical&rdquo; path and thus cheaper instrument to be manufacctured. The reflecting electrostatic field can also be used to filter higher energy ions from lower energy ions. An ion optical system as such is also disclosed.

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Berwick, Australia

Iouri Kalinitchenko