Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Varian Associates, Inc.

Varian, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Company

Mingda Wang

Gregory J Wells

Edward C Cirimele

Jeffrey T Kernan

Edward G Marquette

Urs Steiner

James L Bertsch

Roger C Tong

Jing Tang

Felician Muntean

J Gerson Goldberg

Patrick D Perkins

Kenneth R Newton

Maozi Liu

Charles A Fancher

Doris Lee

Steve Schachterle

Robert D Brittain

An ion transfer device includes a tube, a resistive layer on an inside surface of the tube, and a dielectric layer on the resistive layer. The device defines a conduit providing a transfer path for gas and ions. The conduit is surrounded by the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer protects the resistive layer from the chemical environment in the conduit, while being thin enough to allow charges to pass through the dielectric layer and be dissipated by the resistive layer.

Dielectric coated ion transfer device for mass spectrometry

An ion source is configured for soft electron ionization and produces a low electron-energy, yet high-intensity, electron beam. The ion source includes an electron source that produces the electron beam and transmits it into an ionization chamber. The electron beam interacts with sample material in the ionization chamber to produce an ion beam that may be transmitted to a downstream device. The electron source is configured for generating a virtual cathode upstream of the ionization chamber, which enhances the intensity of the electron beam.

Ion source for soft electron ionization and related systems and methods

An ion transport apparatus includes an ion entrance end, an ion exit end, and electrodes arranged along a longitudinal axis from the ion entrance end toward the ion exit end. The electrodes are configured for applying an RF electrical field that varies along the longitudinal axis such that at the ion entrance end, the RF electrical field comprises a major first multipole component of 2npoles where n&#x2267;3/2, and at the ion exit end the RF electrical field comprises predominantly a second multipole component of 2npoles where n&#x2267;3/2 and n&#x3c;n.

Multipole ion transport apparatus and related methods

In a method for exciting a precursor ion in an ion trap, the ion is trapped in a nonlinear trapping field that includes a quadrupolar field and a multipole field. The quadrupolar field is generated by applying a radio-frequency (RF) trapping voltage to the ion trap at a trapping amplitude and trapping frequency. A supplemental alternating-current (AC) voltage is applied to the ion trap at a supplemental amplitude and supplemental frequency. The supplemental amplitude is low enough to prevent ejection of the ion from the ion trap, and the supplemental frequency differs from the secular frequency of the ion by an offset amount. One or more operating parameters of the ion trap are adjusted, such that the ion absorbs energy from the supplemental field sufficient to undergo collision-induced dissociation (CID) without being in resonance with the supplemental field.

Chemical structure-insensitive method and apparatus for dissociating ions

Sample material ionized in a sample receiving chamber is flowed into a sample conduit. Drying gas may also flow into the sample conduit and may be heated. The pressure and length of the sample conduit may be provided according to the product 50 or greater Torr&#x2212;cm. The sample conduit may include a turn. The sample conduit may lead to an ion extraction chamber at which a sampling orifice may lead to a mass spectrometer. The diameter of the sample conduit may be larger than the diameter of the sampling orifice. An electrical field may be applied in the ion extraction chamber to slow incoming ions. A voltage jump may be applied to the sample conduit.

Sample ionization at above-vacuum pressures

An electrode for use in a device such as an ion trap has an axial length extending generally in the direction of a central axis from a first axial end to a second axial end, and an inside surface. The inside surface includes a surface profile that is uniform from the first axial end to the second axial end, or at least is uniform for a uniform section length along the axial direction. The electrode may include an elongated surface feature such as a groove that extends for at least the uniform section length. An aperture may communicate with the groove. The electrode may be axially segmented into regions. Gaps between the regions may be oriented at an angle relative to a plane orthogonal to the central axis. The electrode may be one of several electrodes arranged as an electrode structure coaxially disposed about an elongated interior space.

Two-dimensional electrode constructions for ion processing

A desired ion is isolated in an ion trapping volume by applying an ion isolation signal to a plurality of ions in the ion trapping volume, including the desired ion to be retained in the ion trapping volume and an undesired ion to be ejected from the ion trapping volume. The ion isolation signal includes a plurality of signal components spanning a frequency range. The plurality of signal components includes a first component having a frequency near a secular frequency of the desired ion, and an adjacent component having a frequency adjacent to the frequency of the first component. The first component has an amplitude greater than the amplitude of the adjacent component.

High-resolution ion isolation utilizing broadband waveform signals

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 electron impact ion source includes an ionization chamber in which a first rf multipole field can be generated and an ion guide positioned downstream from the ionization chamber in which a second rf multipole field can be generated wherein electrons are injected into the ionization chamber along the axis (on-axis) to ionize an analyte sample provided to the ionization chamber.

On-axis electron impact ion source

A method of operating an ion filter for selecting ions and related apparatus. The filter have a plurality of elongated electrodes, and the ions have a secular frequency. The method comprises exciting each elongated electrode with a first voltage component, the first voltage component having a first amplitude and a first frequency; exciting each elongated electrode with a second voltage component, the second voltage component having a frequency substantially equal to a secular frequency of motion for the ion; and generating an electric field and rotating the electric field around the axis.

Multipole ion mass filter having rotating electric field

A device for manipulating ions which includes a perforated folder of electrically conducted 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.

The present invention concerns an improved method and apparatus for analyzing and detecting a charge-neutral sample, which method comprises:

Higher pressure ion source for two dimensional radio-frequency

An improved method of using an ion trap mass spectrometer is disclosed. According to the method an asymmetrical trapping field is applied to the trap. Preferably, the asymmetrical trapping field comprises a quadrupole field and a dipole field having the same frequency. In addition, higher order trapping field components, such as hexapole or octopole fields, may also be included, and the electrodes of the ion trap can be shaped to introduce such higher order field components. The effect of the asymmetrical trapping field of the present invention is to cause the center of the trapping field to be displaced from the mechanical center of the ion trap. A supplemental quadrupole field is then applied to the ion trap, the center of the supplemental quadrupole field being located at the mechanical center of the trap, i.e., it is displaced from the center of the trapping field. The supplement quadrupole field and the trapping field may be viewed as forming one combined field which acts upon the ions in the trap. The combined field is then scanned to cause ions of differing masses to be resonantly ejected from the ion trap in sequential mass order. Preferably, the combined field is scanned by scanning the voltage of the trapping field. Preferably, the supplemental field is set to have a frequency which is two-thirds of the trapping field frequency and is phase locked with the trapping field frequency.

Mass scanning method using an ion trap mass spectrometer

The interior surfaces of an ion trap or ionization chamber is coated with an inert, inorganic non-metallic insulator or semiconductor material for the passivation of such surfaces so as to minimize absorption, degradation or decomposition of a sample in contact with the surface.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Mingda Wang