Varian Associates, Inc.

Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc.

Sri International

Mobilion Systems, Inc.

Other

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Virgin Islands Microsystems, Inc.

Sidney E Buttrill

John Daniel DeBord

Liulin Deng

Alexander Mordehai

Alex V Mordehai

Christopher Hank Becker

Steven E Young

Keith T Gillen

A system for separating ions includes first and second surfaces extending along first and second perpendicular directions, an ion channel defined between the surfaces and configured to receive a stream of ions, first and second electrode arrays each including a plurality of electrodes extending in a third direction and respectively associated with the first and second surfaces, means for causing gas to flow across the ion channel in a fourth direction substantially opposite the first direction, and a controller configured to apply a DC voltage gradient to the electrode arrays. The electrode arrays are configured to generate an electric field based on the DC voltage gradient. The electric field and the flow of gas are configured to direct ions having mobilities in a first mobility range along a first path and ions having mobilities in a second mobility range along a second path.

Systems and methods for two-dimensional mobility based filtering of ions

A system for filtering ions includes first and second surfaces extending along first and second perpendicularly arranged directions, an ion channel between the surfaces configured to receive an ion stream, and first and second electrode arrays associated with the first and second surfaces, respectively. The first and second electrode arrays include a first plurality of electrodes arranged along the first direction and a second plurality of electrodes arranged along the second direction. A controller is configured to apply a first voltage signal to the first plurality of electrodes, which are configured to generate a drive potential traveling along the first direction, and a second voltage signal to the electrode arrays, which are configured to generate an electric potential. The drive and electric potentials are configured to direct ions having mobilities in a first range along a first path and ions having mobilities in a second range along a second path.

Plasmon-enable devices such as ultra-small resonant devices produce electromagnetic radiation at frequencies in excess of microwave frequencies when induced to resonate by a passing electron beam. The resonant devices are surrounded by one or more depressed anodes to recover energy from the passing electron beam as/after the beam couples its energy into the ultra-small resonant devices.

Depressed anode with plasmon-enabled devices such as ultra-small resonant structures

The invention provides apparatus and methods for performing time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry. A TOF mass spectrometer of the present invention comprises one or more ion focusing electric sectors. At least one of the electric sectors is associated with an ion optical element. The ion optical elements comprise at least one adjustable electrode, such that the adjustable electrode is able to modify the potential experienced by an ion entering or exiting the electric sector with which it is associated.

Electric sector time-of-flight mass spectrometer with adjustable ion optical elements

A mass spectrometer system for performing a separation of ions from neutrals and mass analyzing ions comprising a inductively coupled plasma ion generating source with an ion introducing system, a radio-frequently ion guide and a mass analyzer disposed within a vacuum chamber. The space between the radio-frequency ion guide and the ion introduction system defined an aerodynamic jet region which is used for directing a sample containing ions to be analyzed to the entrance of a radio-frequency ion guide and the via the radio-frequency ion guide to the mass analyzer.

Mass spectrometer system and method for transporting and analyzing ions

A method of operating a quadrupole ion trap as a mass spectrometer, in which the ion mass to be detected is selected by adjusting the three dimensional quadrupole storage field to make the .beta..sub.z value of the selected mass equal to a fixed, predetermined .beta..sub.z value of a narrow range of frequencies excluded from a broadband supplemental RF electric field. The ions are detected to provide a signal corresponding to the amount of the selected ion mass.

Method of operating an ion trap mass spectrometer

A method of ion collection over a wide mass-to-charge range from continuous ion source into a quadrupole ion trap filled with a buffer gas directing an ion beam, from an external ion source to a radio frequency ion trap through a gating device for a predetermined period of accumulation time to allow the beam to enter the trap, trapping ions over a range of masses by applying a radio frequency voltage to the trap and changing an amplitude of the radio frequency voltage adiabatically to achieve a uniform trapping efficiency for ions over a predetermined mass range. The predetermined period of accumulation time may be divided into a plurality of segments, and the amplitude of the radio-frequency voltage is changing adiabatically within each segment.

Method for injection of externally produced ions into a quadrupole ion

A mass spectrometer system for performing a separation of ions from neutrals and mass analyzing ions comprising an ion generating source with an ion introduction system, a radio-frequency ion guide and a mass analyzer disposed within a vacuum chamber. The radio-frequency ion guide is positioned with respect to the ion introduction system so that a main axis of the radio-frequency ion guide is angled toward a central axis of the ion introduction system. The trajectory of the ions is diverted toward the main axis of the radio-frequency ion guide while neutrals continue their flow along the central axis. The ions from the ion introduction system are transported via the radio-frequency ion guide to the mass analyzer.

A time-of-flight mass spectrometer includes an ion beam source having a quadrupole ion trap. To form a parallel ion beam, the ions are simultaneously sucked and pulsed out of an interaction region of the trap through an opening in a front end cap electrode of the trap by applying different polarity voltage pulses at the same time to the front end cap electrode and a back end cap electrode of the trap.

Apparatus for and method of forming a parallel ion beam

In a mass spectrometer leak detector an ion source assembly is disposed in a cavity of a vacuum envelope and is surrounded by a thin removable liner which has means for positioning this liner within the cavity. The liner positioning means limit the thermal contact of the liner with the vacuum envelope and due to heat-radiation relationship of the liner with the ion source the temperature of the ion source region increases and contamination of the ion source decreases.

Means for reducing the contamination of mass spectrometer leak detection

A method for improving sensivity of a QIT by overcoming deleterious space charge effects on the collection of higher mass ions in a QIT by rejecting residual air gas ions during ionization and by rejecting other ions during ionization employing a 1/m/z weighting of the amplitude of each secular frequency, where m/z is the mass to charge ratio of the ions.

Quadruple ion trap method having improved sensitivity

Method and apparatus for mass spectral analysis of unknown species of matter present on a surface even in extremely low concentrations. A probe beam such as an ion beam, electron beam or laser is directed to the surface under examination to remove a sample of material. An untuned, high-intensity laser is directed to a spatial region proximate to the surface. The laser has sufficient intensity to induce a high degree of nonresonant, and hence non-selective, photoionization of the sample of material within the laser beam. The non-selectively ionized sample is then subjected to mass spectral analysis to determine the nature of the unknown species.

Method and apparatus for surface diagnostics

An ionization source comprises a housing defining a space, a wire extending o the space, a temperature control connected to the wire and an alkali metal glass bead attached to the wire to be heated by the temperature control. An ion extraction plate with an orifice therein covers the space and is insulated from the housing by an insulating ring. The housing includes a port for drawing a vacuum from the space and for leaking molecules into the space which are to form quasi ions on the glass bead. A focusing plate may also be provided over the extraction plate with an aperture lying on an ion axis which also extends through the orifice for the focusing of the ion beam.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Sidney E Buttrill