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:
Dec. 09, 2008
Filed:
Jan. 31, 2006
Christian Gebhardt, Bremen, DE;
Andreas Brekenfeld, Bremen, DE;
Jochen Franzen, Bremen, DE;
Bruker Daltonik, GmbH, Bremen, DE;
Abstract
The invention relates to methods and devices for the transport of ions generated in gases near atmospheric pressure into the vacuum system of a mass spectrometer. Instead of the single capillary customary in commercial instruments, the invention uses a multichannel plate with hundreds of thousands of very short and narrow capillaries, whose total gas throughput is no higher than that of a normal single capillary. The large-area take-up of ions in the gas flow greatly increases the transfer yield. If the channels are conductive, this prevents the inside surfaces becoming charged. An ion funnel can separate the ions from the gas flow in the vacuum and focus them. Gas-dynamic focusing in an electric decelerating field reduces ion losses caused by wall collisions and prevents very light ions (protons, water clusters) from entering the vacuum. Staged multichannel plates reduce pumping requirements.