Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Company

Pfeiffer Vacuum Gmbh

James L Bertsch

Steven Michael Fischer

Darrell L Gourley

Mark H Werlich

Paul C Goodley

James A Apffel

Patricia H Cormia

Kent D Henry

Alexander Mordehai

Robert Keith Crawford

Karl A Hanold

James Alexander Apffel, Jr

Kenneth R Newton

Harvey D Loucks, Jr

Michael Ugarov

Craig P Love

Eugene M Wong

Robert M Roberts

Mingda Wang

Joseph Vandenburg

J Gerson Goldberg

Jeffrey T Kernan

J Michael Flanagan

Layne Evan Howard

David Deford

Robert G Nordman

Tobias Stoll

Noah Goldberg

Edward C Cirimele

Michael Schweighoefer

William E Barry

Yevgeny Kaplun

Edward Aisawa

Val C Robinson

Jan Hoffmann

Julie B Riccomini

Hans-Peter Zimmerman

The invention relates to a vacuum system, comprising a vacuum pump, preferably turbomolecular pump, and at least one vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum pump comprises: at least a first and a second inlet and a common outlet; at least a first and a second pumping stage, each pumping stage comprising at least one rotor element being arranged on a common rotor shaft, wherein the first inlet is connected to an upstream end of the first pumping stage and the second inlet is connected to an upstream end of the second pumping stage; a direction element for preventing a gas flow from a downstream end of the first pumping stage to the second inlet; a conduit having a conduit inlet and a conduit outlet, wherein the conduit inlet is connected to the downstream end of the first pumping stage and the conduit outlet is connected to a location downstream of the second pumping stage; wherein the first inlet and the second inlet of the pump are connected to the same vacuum chamber.

Vacuum system with a multi-stage and multi-inlet vacuum pump with a directional element separating pump stages

An ion optic assembly includes a set of conductive rods, a first insulator, and a second insulator. The rods are inserted into through-holes of the first insulator, which are arranged about an axis along which the rods are elongated. The rods are then inserted through a bore of the second insulator and become located in notches of the bore, which are arranged about the axis. Accordingly, the first insulator positions one end of the rods at a first distance from the axis, and the second insulator positions the other end of the rods at a second distance from the axis, which may equal to or different from the first distance. The rods contact, and may be spring-biased against, the notches. The assembly may include an electrical contact with fingers spring-biased into contact with the rods. Each insulator may include both through-holes and notches for additional rods.

Multipole ion optic assembly

A quadrupole rod assembly includes a plurality of electrically conductive rods, electrically insulating rings coaxially surrounding the rods, and clamping systems. The rods are arranged about a longitudinal axis. The rods and rings have respective surfaces oriented in a transverse plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, which surfaces interface with respective surfaces of the clamping systems that are also oriented in the transverse plane.

Quadrupole rod assembly

A field terminator includes a plurality of electrode plates positioned around a guide axis at a radial distance therefrom. The plates generate a quadrupole DC field such that a polarity on each plate is opposite to a polarity on the plates adjacent thereto. The plates may be positioned at an axial end of a quadrupole ion guide such as a mass filter. In addition to an RF field, the ion guide may generate a quadrupole DC field. The DC field of the plates may be opposite in polarity to that of the ion guide.

Thin field terminator for linear quadrupole ion guides, and related systems and methods

An ion guide generates a first RF field of Nth order where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2, and a second RF field of 2Nth order superimposed on the first RF field. The first and second RF fields may be generated by respective first and second sets of electrodes. Another ion guide may include a converging entrance section followed by an exit section. The converging section may have a hyperbolic profile. A hyperbolic profile may be presented by electrodes having a twisted configuration relative to an ion guide axis.

Dual field multipole converging ion guides, hyperbolic ion guides, and related methods

An ion detection system for detecting ions whose velocity varies during an operating cycle. The ion detection system includes a dynode electron multiplier (e.g., a microchannel plate (MCP)) having a bias voltage input, and a bias voltage source to apply a bias voltage to the bias voltage input of the dynode electron multiplier. With a fixed bias voltage applied to its bias voltage input, the dynode electron multiplier has a gain dependent on the velocity of ions incident thereon. The bias voltage applied by the bias voltage source to the bias voltage input of the dynode electron multiplier varies during the operating cycle to reduce the dependence of the gain of the dynode electron multiplier on the velocity of the ions incident thereon.

Ion detector response equalization for enhanced dynamic range

Improved apparatuses and methods are provided for ionizing samples and analyzing the samples with mass spectrometry.

Ion sources for improved ionization

Described herein is an ion slicer that: a) accelerates an ion beam towards a first electrode comprising an ion entrance slit, where the first electrode blocks a portion of ions with high displacement from the axis of the ion beam, thereby slicing the ion beam; and then b) decelerates the ion beam after it is sliced.

Ion slicer with accelleration and decelleration optics

A multipole ion guide comprises rods disposed about an axis, each of the rods having a first end and a second end remote from the first end. Each of the rods is disposed at a respective greater distance from the axis at the first end than at the second end. The multipole ion guide comprises means for applying a radio frequency (RF) voltage between adjacent pairs of rods, wherein the RF voltage creates a multipole field in a region between the rods; and means for applying a direct current (DC) voltage drop along a length of each of the rods. A mass spectroscopy system is also disclosed.

Converging multipole ion guide for ion beam shaping

The invention provides a multipole device for a mass spectrometer system. In general, the multipole device contains a plurality of conductive rods each comprising a conductive layer, a resistive layer, and an insulative layer between the conductive and resistive layers. The invention finds use in a variety of applications, including ion transport, ion fragmentation and ion mass filtration. Accordingly, the invention may be employed in a variety of mass spectrometer systems.

Mass spectrometer multipole device

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for use with a mass spectrometer. The multimode ionization source of the present invention provides one or more atmospheric pressure ionization sources (e.g., electrospray, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and/or atmospheric pressure photoionization) for ionizing molecules. A method of producing ions using the multimode ionization source is also disclosed. The apparatus and method provide the advantages of the combined ion sources without the inherent disadvantages of the individual sources. In an embodiment, the multimode ionization source includes an infrared emitter enclosed in an inner chamber for drying a charged aerosol. ESI/APCI multimode sources may include a corona needle shield and/or an auxiliary electrode.

Multimode ionization source

The invention provides an ion trap assembly. In general terms, the ion trap assembly contains: a) a segmented linear ion trap; b) an insulator disposed around the segmented linear ion trap; and c) a bonding material for attaching and spacing the insulator and said segmented linear ion trap. The ion trap assembly is generally made by mounting an elongated conductive workpiece to a set of rigidly connected insulators using a bonding material, and cutting the elongated conductive workpiece into a plurality of rods using wire electrical discharge machining. Also provided is a mass spectrometry system containing the precision segmented linear ion trap.

Precision segmented ion trap

A device for manipulating ions which includes a perforated folder of electrically conductive material, a first electrode fixed to the holder and a second electrode extending parallel to the first electrode and spaced from the first electrode and holder. The second electrode is connected to the holder through a rigid support of electrically insulated material.

Apparatus for manipulation of ions and methods of making apparatus

An atmospheric pressure ion source, e.g. for a mass spectrometer, that produces ions by atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). It includes a vaporizer, a photon source for photoionizing vapor molecules upon exit from the vaporizer, a passageway for transporting ions to, for example, a mass spectrometer system, and a means for directing the ions into the passageway. The center axis of the vaporizer and the center axis of the passageway form an angle that may be about 90 degrees. Included in the invention is a method for creating ions by atmospheric pressure photoionization along an axis and directing them into a passageway oriented at an angle to that axis.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

James L Bertsch