401results about "Tube vacuum systems" patented technology

The present invention is for an improved ionization source chamber and ion beam delivery system which includes a vacuum chamber and flange arrangement, for mounting the means for transferring sample ions from the port to a mass analyzer and for mounting the ion production means, respectively. The flange containing the ion production means may be attached to the vacuum chamber via a hinge such that the flange can open as a door to provide easy access to the ion transfer electrodes in the vacuum chamber. Further, a variety of different ion production means may be mounted on the flange of the ionization source chamber of the present invention. As a result, any ion production means may be used with the present invention by substituting a flange which includes the desired ion production means.

A miniature mass spectrometer that may be coupled to an atmospheric pressure ionisation source is described. Ions pass through a small orifice from a region at atmospheric pressure or low vacuum, and undergo efficient collisional cooling as they transit a very short, differentially pumped ion guide. A narrow beam of low energy ions is passed through a small aperture and into a separate chamber containing the mass analyser.

The present invention is directed to a method and device to desorb an analyte using heat to allow desorption of the analyte molecules, where the desorbed analyte molecules are ionized with ambient temperature ionizing species. In various embodiments of the invention a current is passed through a mesh upon which the analyte molecules are present. The current heats the mesh and results in desorption of the analyte molecules which then interact with gas phase metastable neutral molecules or atoms to form analyte ions characteristic of the analyte molecules.

A mass spectrometer system and a method of operating same are provided. The system comprises a) an ion conduit for receiving ions; b) a boundary member defining a curtain gas chamber containing the ion conduit; c) a curtain gas supply for providing a curtain gas directed by the boundary member to an inlet of the ion conduit to provide a gas flow into the ion conduit, and a curtain gas outflow out of a curtain gas chamber inlet; d) a mass spectrometer at least partially sealed to, and in fluid communication with, the ion conduit for receiving the ions from the ion conduit; a vacuum chamber surrounding the mass spectrometer operable to draw the gas flow including the ions through the ion conduit and into the vacuum chamber; and, e) a gas outlet for drawing a gas outflow from the gas flow located between the ion conduit and the mass spectrometer to increase the gas flow rate through the ion conduit.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for focusing, separating, and detecting gas-phase ions using the principles of electrohydrodynamic quadrupole fields at high pressures, at or near atmospheric pressure. Ions are entrained in a concentric flow of gas and travel through a high-transmission element into a RF/DC quadrupole, exiting out of the RF/DC quadrupole, and then impacting on an ion detector, such as a faraday plate; or through an aperture or capillary tube with subsequent identification by a mass spectrometer. Ions with stable trajectories pass through the RF/DC quadrupole while ions with unstable trajectories drift off-axis collide with the rods and are lost. Alternatively, detection of ions with unstable trajectories can be accomplished by allowing the ions to pass through the rods and be detected by an off-axis detector. Embodiments of this invention are devices and methods for focusing, separating, and detecting gas-phase ions at or near atmospheric pressure, when coupled to mass spectrometers.

A method of interfacing atmospheric pressure ion sources, including electrospray and desorption electrospray ionization sources, to mass spectrometers, for example miniature mass spectrometers, in which the ionized sample is discontinuously introduced into the mass spectrometer. Discontinuous introduction improves the match between the pumping capacity of the instrument and the volume of atmospheric pressure gas that contains the ionized sample. The reduced duty cycle of sample introduction is offset by operation of the mass spectrometer under higher performance conditions and by ion accumulation at atmospheric pressure.

A plasma source mass spectrometer (20) having an ion beam extraction electrode (45) associated with a skimmer cone (40) to restrict the pumping of gas from a region (60) immediately behind the skimmer cone orifice (42) to provide a higher pressure (e.g. 1-10⁻² Torr) in the region (60) compared to the pressure downstream of the electrode (45) (e.g. 10⁻³-10^{31 4} Torr). This provides a collisional gas volume (60) for plasma (28) for attenuating polyatomic and multicharged interfering ions prior to extraction of an ion beam (49). In one embodiment a substance (e.g. hydrogen) can be supplied into the region (60) to assist attenuation of polyatomic and multicharged interfering ions by reactive or collisional interactions.

A mass spectrometer includes a plurality of guide stages for guiding ions between an ion source and an ion detector along a guide axis. Each of the guide stages is contained within one of a plurality of adjacent chambers. Pressure in each of the plurality of chambers is reduced downstream along the guide axis to guide ions along the axis. Each guide stage may further include a plurality of guide rods for producing a containment filed for containing ions about the guide axis, as they are guided to the detector.

A mass spectrometer of reduced size and weight is provided which is capable to conduct highly accurate mass spectroscopy. The mass spectrometer includes an ion source adapted to ionize gas flowing in from outside in order to ionize a measurement sample and a mass spectroscopy section for separating the ionized measurement sample. The ion source has its interior reduced in pressure by differential pumping from the mass spectroscopy section and ionizes the gas when the interior pressure rises as it inhales the gas, and the mass spectroscopy section separates the ionized measurement sample when its interior pressure falls after inhale of the gas. The mass spectrometer may further include a restriction device for suppressing a flow rate of the gas the ion source inhales and an open/close device for opening and closing a flow of the gas the ion source inhales.

A system for analyzing ions comprises: an ion source; a FAIMS cell comprising: (a) a gas inlet; (b) an outer electrode having a generally concave inner surface and comprising: (i) an ion inlet operable to receive the ions from the ion source and a carrier gas from the gas inlet; and (ii) an ion outlet; and (c) an inner electrode having a conduit therethrough and having a generally convex outer surface that is disposed in a spaced-apart and facing arrangement relative to the inner surface of the outer electrode for defining an ion separation region therebetween; and a mass analyzer for mass analyzing ions transmitted by the FAIMS cell through the ion outlet, wherein the inner electrode is moveable between a first position and a second position, the first position facilitating movement of the ions through the ion separation region, the second position facilitating movement of the ions through the conduit.

A sealing surface, in particular for a vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer and an associated manufacturing process, has non-circular shapes and can be produced with low effort. The sealing surface has circumferential cracks, being produced by erosion or jet machining or indentation-forming. A method manufactures such a sealing surface, a component has such a sealing surface, a vacuum chamber is made of components with such sealing surfaces and a mass spectrometer has such a vacuum chamber. In the prior art annular sealing surfaces are produced by turning. Milling permits a non-annular embodiment but is disadvantageous in case of sealing.

An ion source and method for providing ionized particles to a molecular/atomic analyser, such as a mass spectrometer, are disclosed. The ion source includes a vessel defining a channel; a gas inlet extending from the gas source into the channel, for introducing a gas flow into the channel; a sample inlet extending into the channel for introducing sample within the channel; and an ionizer to ionize the sample in the channel. The vessel is sufficiently sealed to allow the channel to be pressurized, at a pressure in excess of 100 Torr. At least one gas source maintains the pressure of the channel at a pressure in excess of 100 Torr and the pressure exterior to the channel at a pressure in excess of 0.1 Torr and provides a gas flow that sweeps across the ionizer to guide and entrain ions from the ionizer to the outlet.