Bruker Daltonics, Inc.

Other

Thermo Finnigan LLC

Bruker Daltonik Gmbh

Bruker Scientific LLC

Stephen Zanon

Felician Muntean

Roy P Moeller

Urs Steiner

Maurizio Splendore

Maurizio A Splendore

Desmond Allen Kaplan

James M Sklenar

Zicheng Yang

Rohan Thakur

Desmond Kaplan

Roy Moeller

The disclosure relates to a mass spectrometer, comprising (a) a vacuum recipient containing ion handling elements of the mass spectrometer, the vacuum recipient having a plurality of walls which define a gastight volume and comprise at least one of an entrance and exit, wherein different portions of an ion path pass at least one of the entrance and exit and run through the gastight volume; and (b) a gastight radio frequency ion guide having an ion passage along an axis and being mounted gastight to at least one of the entrance and exit as to continue the ion path in its ion passage outside the gastight volume. Embodiments of the disclosure facilitate, in particular, reducing pumping volumes in the mass spectrometer and corresponding pumping requirements as well as lowering the size and weight of such an assembly.

Mass spectrometer using gastight radio frequency ion guide

The invention relates to a radio frequency ion guide construction for use in mass spectrometry that minimizes contamination by allowing ions rejected by the RF confinement field to fly through and away from the ion guide electrodes and preventing them from hitting the sensitive electric potential defining surfaces of the ion guide electrodes. At the entrance end of the ion guide, each electrode of the plurality of electrodes has a front end that is forked or that contains a recessed feature facing an interior of the ion guide. For an electrode that is forked, the teeth of the forked end may have different shapes or tapers, and a conductive mesh may be used to cover a gap between the teeth. Similarly, for an electrode that has a recessed feature, a conductive mesh may cover the recessed feature.

Contamination-proof ion guide for mass spectrometry

The invention generally relates to an assembly of a first RF component and a second RF component in a mass spectrometer, the first RF component comprising a first set of electrodes and the second RF component comprising a second set of electrodes, wherein the RF components are located and aligned end-to-end to one another, and wherein a transverse dimension of the electrodes of the first set is smaller than that of the electrodes of the second set. The assembly further comprises a conductive electric field screen located at an outer periphery of the first set of electrodes and facing the electrodes of the second set as to reduce RF electric field cross-talk between the electrodes of the first set and those of the second set. The invention affords for technically simple and economic means to reduce cross-talk or capacitive coupling between adjacent RF components in a mass spectrometer.

Reduction of cross-talk between RF components in a mass spectrometer

An atmospheric pressure ion source, employing the principle of electrospray ionization, chemical ionization, or photo-ionization, comprises a spray probe for spraying a liquid into an ionization chamber and has an exhaust port through which residual spray mist and waste gas, such as evaporated solvent, are extracted. The ion source further comprises an exhaust system comprising a conduit which is connected to the exhaust port. The conduit has a transition from a first cross-section to a second cross section at a point downstream of the exhaust port wherein the second cross section is reduced in relation to the first cross section. Gas is injected via a gas injector into the conduit in a region of the transition to create a low pressure region that removes unwanted material from the chamber.

Atmospheric pressure ion source with exhaust system

An ion guide that transports ions from an ion source at generally a high-pressure level to a mass analyzer at generally a low-pressure level has a plurality of identical electrodes fabricated with protruding elements that forming an ion tunnel or an ion funnel, when the electrodes are assembled around a common longitudinal axis. The protruding elements allow the generation of the radio frequency field necessary to radially confine ions. Each electrode may be machined from a solid block of conductive material, such as metal. The disclosed arrangement greatly simplifies the manufacturing process, reducing cost, and improving robustness and reliability of the ion guide itself.

Ion guide and electrode for its assembly

An assembly for use in an electrospray ion source includes a capillary for guiding a flow of liquid generally containing analyte(s) of interest, which is to be electrosprayed into an ionization chamber, a first tube at least partially encasing the capillary such that a first conduit for guiding a first heatable gas is created proximate the capillary and a hollow member that has an internal evacuated space and is located at the outer circumference of the capillary such that heat transfer from the first heatable gas flowing proximate the capillary to the liquid in the capillary is impeded. The assembly provides a simple and lean/compact way of preventing excessive heat transfer to the liquid in the capillary of an electrospray ion source.

Assembly for an electrospray ion source

An ion optics assembly is formed by four quarter-circular profile elements, all of which are attach to the same reference plate. Consequently, all four elements remain aligned to the same reference plate. The four elements form a quarter-circular channel with quarter-circular quad electrodes. The quad electrodes receive electrical potential to form the field required to focus and maintain the ions at the center of the channel. Quarter-circular insulators are provided on all sides of the channel so as to seal the channel over its length from the interior of the mass spectrometer. A heater is provided at the entrance to the ion transfer optics, to prevent accumulation of ions on the poles. A thermal break is provided in the quad, so as to enable maintaining the front of the quad heated and the rest of the quad cooler.

Curved heated ion transfer optics

A multipole rod assembly, such as used as mass analyzer, is fabricated using rods adhesively attached to shoes, which are then attached to isolation rings. A fixture is used in conjunction with precision-made spacers to precisely assemble the ion mass analyzer. The rods and shoes can be made of metal, while the isolation rings are preferably made of insulator, such as ceramic. The shoes and isolation rings need not be made to high precision, as the spacer ensures high accuracy in alignment and symmetry of the rods. Consequently, the rods are the only precision machined parts in the ion mass analyzer assembly.

Multipole assembly and method for its fabrication

An apparatus for releasably gripping a sample plate for use with a mass spectrometer has been developed, the sample plate having substantially parallel faces and a peripheral surface. The apparatus comprises a planar member and first and second guiding structures. The second guiding structure comprises a biasing mechanism which when activiated, provides a force that forces the second guiding structure towards the peripheral surface of the sample plate such that the sample plate is retained by the apparatus. Utilization of the configuration reduces frictional point contact thus reduces localized stress point resulting in yielding the surface material thus in effect guarding both sample plate and first guiding means from galling and/or reducing any type of material removal when gripping a sample plate, or releasing a sample plate.

Sample plate gripping mechanism

A new sample plate handling apparatus for use with mass analysis, and methods for use the same have been developed. The sampling plate handling apparatus comprises a sample plate receiver which receives the sample plate in a first plane, a rotating device for rotating the sample plate from the first plane to a second plane, and a relocation device that relocates the sample plate in the second plane such that one of the samples on the sample plate is in the position desired for analysis by the mass analyzer. In one implementation, the relocation device can relocate the sample plate such that a beam of radiation that irradiates a sample on the sample plate emanates ionized particles that are substantially aligned with ion transfer optics of the mass analyzer.

Method and apparatus for handling a sample plate for use in mass analysis

Embodiments of the present invention describe a MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization) sample plate body that includes a reusable sample plate and a sample plate adapter that are releasably coupled to one another. In one particular embodiment, the sample plate and the sample plate adapter are releasably coupled to one another to form the MALDI sample plate body by a latch formed by a spring-loaded hook within the sample plate adapter and a recess shaped to accept the hook within the sample plate. The MALDI sample plate body may be formed by aligning the sample plate with the sample plate adapter and coupling the sample plate to the sample plate adapter to releasably couple the sample plate to the sample plate adapter.

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Campbell, CA, United States of America

Stephen Zanon