Shimadzu Corporation

Matthew Clive Gill

Roger Giles

Li Ding

James Edward Nuttall

Steven Douglas Taylor

Stephen Bloomfield

Richard Witter

Hamish Stewart

Alina Giles

Stuart Harley

Jeff Chadbourne

A method of manufacturing a multipole device includes the steps of: (a) forming an intermediate device by assembling a plurality of components including a plurality of precursor multipole electrodes, wherein the plurality of precursor multipole electrodes in the assembled device extend along and are distributed around a central axis; (b) forming a multipole device from the intermediate device by machining the precursor multipole electrodes within the intermediate device to provide a plurality of multipole electrodes having a predetermined spatial relationship; wherein a first component of the multipole device that includes a multipole electrode is attached non-permanently to a second component of the multipole device, the first component including a first alignment formation, and the second component including a second alignment portion configured to engage with the first alignment formation on the first component so as to facilitate alignment of the first component and the second component when the first component and the second component are attached, thereby allowing the first component to be detached from and then reattached to the second component while retaining the predetermined spatial relationship between the plurality of multipole electrodes.

Multipole device and manufacturing method

An apparatus for transporting charged particles. The apparatus includes a control unit and a transport device having a plurality of electrodes arranged around a transport channel, wherein the transport channel includes a bunch forming region configured to receive charged particles received by the transport device. The control unit is configured to control voltages applied to the electrodes to generate a transport potential in the transport channel, the transport potential having a plurality of potential wells which are configured to move so as to transport charged particles along the transport channel in one or more bunches. The control unit is further configured to control voltages applied to the electrodes: temporarily generate a gathering potential in the bunch forming region so that charged particles received by the transport device are gathered in the bunch forming region; and then generate the transport potential in the bunch forming region so that a selected potential well is formed in the bunch forming region with the selected potential well receiving a bunch of charged particles formed from the charged particles gathered in the bunch forming region by the gathering potential.

Transport device for transporting charged particles

An ion trap having a segmented electrode structure having a plurality of segments consecutively positioned along an axis, wherein each segment of the segmented electrode structure includes a plurality of electrodes arranged around the axis. A first voltage supply is configured to operate in a radially confining mode in which at least some electrodes belonging to each segment are supplied with at least one AC voltage waveform so as to provide a confining electric field for radially confining ions within the segment. A second voltage supply is configured to operate in a trapping mode in which at least some of the electrodes belonging to the segments are supplied with different DC voltages so as to provide a trapping electric field that has an axially varying profile for urging ions towards and trapping ions in a target segment of the plurality of segments. A first chamber is configured to receive ions from an ion source, wherein a first subset of the segments are located within the first chamber. A second chamber is configured to receive ions from the first chamber, wherein a second subset of the segments are located within the second chamber, and wherein the target segment is one of the second subset of segments. A gas pump is configured to pump gas out from the second chamber so as to provide the second chamber with a lower gas pressure than the first chamber. A gas flow restricting section is located between the first chamber and second chamber, wherein the gas flow restricting section is configured to allow ions to pass from the first chamber to the second chamber whilst restricting gas flow from the first chamber to the second chamber.

Ion trap

A time of flight ('TOF') mass spectrometer including an ion source, a detector, and a tilt correction device. The ion source is configured to produce ions having a plurality of m/z values. The detector detects ions produced by the ion source. The tilt correction device is located along a portion of a reference ion flight path extending from the ion source to a planar surface of the detector and includes tilt correction electrodes configured to generate at least one dipole electric field across the reference ion flight path. The at least one dipole electric field is configured to tilt an isochronous plane of ions produced by the ion source so as to correct a previous angular misalignment between the isochronous plane and the planar surface of the detector.

Time of flight mass spectrometer

An ion manipulation device for guiding or confining ions in an ion processing apparatus. The device has a first circuit board, wherein at least one first electrode for manipulating the path of ions is mounted on a mounting surface of the first circuit board; a second circuit board, wherein at least one second electrode for manipulating the path of ions is mounted on a mounting surface of the second circuit board; at least one bridging electrode for manipulating the path of ions, wherein the at least one bridging electrode is mounted to both the mounting surface of the first circuit board and the mounting surface of the second circuit board, wherein the bridging electrode is configured to hold the first circuit board and the second circuit board apart from each other in a fixed spatial relationship in which the mounting surface of the second circuit board faces towards the mounting surface of the first circuit board.

Ion manipulation device for guiding or confining ions in an ion processing apparatus

A method of controlling a DC power supply to change a DC offset voltage applied to a component for manipulating charged particles. The method includes, whilst an AC voltage waveform is being applied to the component: controlling the DC power supply to produce an initial DC offset voltage that is applied to the component via a link that causes the DC offset voltage at the component to lag behind the DC offset voltage produced by the DC power supply when the DC offset voltage produced by the DC power supply is changed; then controlling the DC power supply to produce an overdrive DC offset voltage that is applied to the component via the link for a predetermined period of time; then controlling the DC power supply to produce a target DC offset voltage that is applied to the component via the link, wherein the target DC offset voltage is between the initial DC offset voltage and the overdrive DC offset voltage.

Method of controlling a DC power supply

A circuit for generating a voltage waveform at an output node. The circuit includes a voltage rail connected to the output node via a voltage rail switch; an anchor node connected to the output node via an inductor and a bidirectional switch, wherein the bidirectional switch includes two or more transistors connected in series; and a control unit configured to change the voltage at the output node by controlling the voltage rail switch and the bidirectional switch so that, if a load capacitance is connected to the output node, a resonant circuit is established between the inductor and the load capacitance. The circuit may be included in an apparatus for use in processing charged particles, e.g. for use in performing mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry.

Circuit for generating a voltage waveform

A circuit for generating a voltage waveform at an output node. The circuit includes a voltage rail connected to the output node via a voltage rail switch; an anchor nodeconnected to the output node via an inductor and a bidirectional switch, wherein the bidirectional switch includes two or more transistors connected in series; and a control unit configured to change the voltage at the output node by controlling the voltage rail switch and the bidirectional switch so that, if a load capacitance is connected to the output node, a resonant circuit is established between the inductorand the load capacitance. The circuit may be included in an apparatus for use in processing charged particles, e.g. for use in performing mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry.

A time of flight analyzer that comprises a pulsed ion source; a non-linear ion mirror having a turn-around point; and a detector. The pulsed ion source is configured to produce an ion pulse travelling along an ion flight axis, the ion pulse comprising an ion group consisting of ions of a single m/z value, the ion group having a lateral spread. The non-linear ion mirror is configured to reflect the ion group, at the turn-around point, along the ion flight axis towards the detector, the passage of the ion group through the non-linear ion mirror causing a spatial spread of the ion group. The time of flight mass analyzer has at least one lens positioned between the ion source and the ion mirror, wherein the or each lens is configured to reduce said lateral spread so as to provide a local minimum of lateral spread within the ion mirror.

ToF mass analyser with improved resolving power

The present invention is concerned with an ion analysis apparatus comprising an ion guide having an ion optical axis extending from an ion inlet to an ion outlet, the ion guide being configured to guide ions from the ion inlet to the ion outlet along the ion optical axis, wherein the ion guide comprises at least one extraction region located between the ion inlet and the ion outlet, the at least one extraction region being configured to extract ions moving along the ion optical axis of the ion guide in an extraction direction, the extraction direction being substantially orthogonal to the ion optical axis of the ion guide, wherein the apparatus includes ion radial confinement means that in use confine the ions in the radial direction within the ion guide.

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West Didsbury, United Kingdom

Matthew Clive Gill