89results about "Tube electrostatic deflection" patented technology

Methods and analysers useful for time of flight mass spectrometry are provided. A method of separating charged particles comprises the steps of: providing an analyser comprising two opposing mirrors each mirror comprising inner and outer field-defining electrode systems elongated along an axis z, the outer system surrounding the inner and defining therebetween an analyser volume, the mirrors creating an electrical field within the analyser volume comprising opposing electrical fields along z, the strength along z of the electrical field being a minimum at a plane z=0; causing a beam of charged particles to fly through the analyser, orbiting around the z axis within the analyser volume, reflecting from one mirror to the other at least once thereby defining a maximum turning point within a mirror; the strength along z of the electrical field at the maximum turning point being X and the absolute strength along z of the electrical field being less than |X| / 2 for not more than ⅔ of the distance along z between the plane z=0 and the maximum turning point in each mirror; separating the charged particles according to their flight times; and ejecting at least some of the charged particles having a plurality of m / z from the analyser or detecting the at least some of charged particles having a plurality of m / z, the ejecting or detecting being performed after the particles have undergone the same number of orbits around the axis z.

A method, apparatus and algorithms are disclosed for operating an open electrostatic trap (E-trap) or a multi-pass TOF mass spectrometer with an extended flight path. A string of start pulses with non equal time intervals is employed for triggering ion packet injection into the analyzer, a long spectrum is acquired to accept ions from the entire string and a true spectrum is reconstructed by eliminating or accounting overlapping signals at the data analysis stage while using logical analysis of peak groups. The method is particularly useful for tandem mass spectrometry wherein spectra are sparse. The method improves the duty cycle, the dynamic range and the space charge throughput of the analyzer and of the detector, so as the response time of the E-trap analyzer. It allows flight extension without degrading E-trap sensitivity.

The invention provides an ion mobility analyzer and a combination unit thereof and an ion mobility analysis method. The ion mobility analyzer comprises an electrode system that surrounds an analysis space, and a power supply device that attaches to the electrode system an ion mobility potential field which moves along a space axis direction. In an analysis process of the mobility of ions to be tested, the ions to be tested are placed in a motion migration electric field all the time, the direction of motion of the migration field is always the same as an electric field force that the ions to be tested are subjected to in the migration field, in theory, an infinitely long migration path can be formed, ions with extremely small difference in mobility or particle size are distinguished. Through nonlinearity of the migration field, simultaneous space constraint and separation effects of ions of various mobility can be realized. The analyzer can be combined with various ion sources, detectors, mass analyzers, other ion mobility analyzers and chromatographic and spectral analysis methods, and is easy to form a large-scale analyzer array together with electrodes through a multiplexing power supply.

This invention relates generally to multi-reflection electrostatic systems, and more particularly to improvements in and relating to the Orbitrap electrostatic ion trap. A method of operating an electrostatic ion trapping device having an array of electrodes operable to mimic a single electrode is proposed, the method comprising determining three or more different voltages that, when applied to respective electrodes of the plurality of electrodes, generate an electrostatic trapping field that approximates the field that would be generated by applying a voltage to the single electrode, and applying the three or more so determined voltages to the respective electrodes. Further improvements lie in measuring a plurality of features from peaks with different intensities from one or more collected mass spectra to derive characteristics, and using the measured characteristics to improve the voltages to be applied to the plurality of electrodes.

A multi-reflecting time-of-flight (MR-TOF) mass spectrometer, which includes two quasi-planar electrostatic ion mirrors extended along drift direction (Z) and is formed of parallel electrodes, separated by a field-free region. The MR-TOF includes a pulsed ion source to release ion packets at a small angle to X-direction which is orthogonal to the drift direction Z. Ion packets are reflected between ion mirrors and drift along the drift direction. The mirrors are arranged to provide time-of-flight focusing ion packets on the receiver. The MR-TOF mirrors provide spatial focusing in the Y-direction orthogonal to both drift direction Z and ion injection direction X. In a preferred embodiment, at least one mirror has a feature providing periodic spatial focusing of ion packets in the drift Z-direction.

A time-of-flight mass analyzer having an improved ion detector arrangement is disclosed. The analyzer includes an ionizer that generates the ions that are to be analyzed. A flight tube accepts the ions provided from the ionizer and constrains the ions to a generally helical ion flight path using a generally static electric field. An ion detector is disposed in the flight tube to intercept ions as the ions travel along the substantially helical ion flight path. At least one timer is provided to determine the flight times of the ions along an ion path that comprises at least the generally helical ion path. The timer is responsive to the impingement of ions on the ion detector.

An interface for mass spectrometers. The interface uses non coaxial sampling pathways of the analyte ion beam prior to entering the entrance of a mass spectrometer for decreasing chemical background, and can be done in such a way as to permit multiple sprayers, increasing sample throughput and sensitivity for LC / MS (liquid chromatography / MS). The interface includes an ion source having an exit from which a beam of analyte ions are emitted, a curtain plate and an aperture in the curtain plate member, an orifice plate having an orifice therein. The orifice plate is being spaced from the curtain plate member defining a flow passageway therebetween, and the aperture in the orifice plate is aligned with a sample entrance to a first vacuum stage of a mass spectrometer maintained substantially lower than atmospheric pressure. The aperture in the curtain plate member is non coaxially aligned with the orifice in the orifice plate and the interface includes a gas flow mechanism for directing a counter flow gas into the flow passageway.

There is provided an ion reflector for use with a mass spectrometer for directing a flow of ions between two distinct axes of travel. The reflector includes an electric field capable of causing a flow of ions focused through a first spatial region to be focused toward a second spatial region, whereby the first and second spatial regions are aligned with respective axes of travel.

An ion guide includes a plurality of curved electrodes and an ion deflecting device. The electrodes are arranged about and radially spaced from a central curved axis, and circumscribe a curved ion guide region from an ion entrance to an ion exit. The ion deflecting device may include a device for applying a DC electric field to one or more electrodes in a radial direction. The magnitude of the DC electric field, and thus the ion deflecting force, varies along the curved axis. The ion guide may for example operate as a collision cell or like instrument.