The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 07, 1998
Filed:
Mar. 29, 1996
Jochen Franzen, Bremen, DE;
Bruker-Franzen Analytik GmbH, Bremen, DE;
Abstract
The invention relates to methods and devices for transporting ions in a laminar gas flow through a tube, preferably through a capillary tube. During the transport, the ions must not touch the wall of the capillary or else they will be discharged upon collision with the wall. The invention consists of keeping the ions in the gas flow free of any wall collisions by gas-dynamic focussing of the ions into the center of the gas stream. Focussing is achieved when the ions are decelerated by an electric field relative to the gas flow so that they have a lower transport velocity than the gas stream. Due to the parabolic velocity profile of the laminar gas stream, ions which are not at the center of the capillary are subjected to circumference by gas with different velocities at both sides, resulting in a force toward the capillary axis. This component of force is the stronger the farther the ions are away from the center axis and the more they are decelerated.