Small quadrupole rod manufacturing process and base for manufacturing small quadrupole rod

Abstract

The invention discloses a manufacturing process of a small quadrupole rod. Selecting an insulating material to prepare a base, wherein the base is provided with a placement channel; roughly machining the alloy material to obtain a roughly machined metal electrode; the metal electrode is fixed on the placing channel; performing low-speed wire cutting on the metal electrode to obtain a small quadrupole rod; compared with a small quadrupole rod manufactured through an existing technology, the small quadrupole rod manufactured through the manufacturing technology does not need to be subjected to complex manual assembly any more, and the linear cutting precision is far better than the manual assembly precision; and meanwhile, the small quadrupole rod manufactured by the manufacturing process can reduce gas conductance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of quadrupole preparation, and in particular to a small quadrupole manufacturing process and a base for preparing the small quadrupole. Background Art

[0002] The quadrupole is composed of four accurate parallel rods with direct current voltage (DC) and superimposed radio frequency voltage (RF). The opposite pair of electrodes is of equal potential, while the potential between the two pairs of electrodes is opposite. When a group of ions with different mass-to-charge ratios enter the electric field composed of DC and RF along the parallel rod axis, only ions that meet specific conditions can stably oscillate through the quadrupole. By controlling different voltage conditions, the quadrupole can be used as a transmission cooling device or a mass analyzer. It is a very important component of mass spectrometers. The micro-quadrupole is a device that reduces the overall size of the quadrupole by a certain multiple but does not affect the function of the quadrupole. Its functions are: first, it can maintain the phase space of the ion group for ion transmission; second, its miniaturized structure can form a differential vacuum for gas flow limitation and transition to a higher level of vacuum. Therefore, in addition to realizing the function of the quadrupole, the miniaturized quadrupole can be used as a current limiting device, generally used in the vacuum transition zone of the chamber. The current processing technology for small quadrupoles is to coat the surface of a thin ceramic disc base with copper, weld the roughly processed small quadrupole to the copper surface, and finally cut out four independent and unconnected rods and their shapes by wire cutting.

[0003] The principle of the small quadrupole is the same as that of the traditional quadrupole. By adjusting the voltage between the four metal electrodes, only ions with a specific mass-to-charge ratio can maintain a stable motion path through the entire quadrupole system. In the current small quadrupole processing technology, due to welding, the concentricity and angle of the circular surfaces of ceramics and metals have errors. In order not to affect the shape of the electrodes, the positioning grooves of the wire cutting are made on the ceramic base. When cutting with the ceramic base disc as the reference surface, the error will cause asymmetric cutting and cause the rod to deform, which will cause the electric field in the quadrupole to be distorted, affecting ion transmission and even destroying the basic function of the device. In addition, the conductance of the thin quadrupole after wire cutting is still relatively large. For the mass analyzer at the back end of the quadrupole, it needs to reach at least 10 -6 The vacuum degree is in the Pa level. Too large a conductance will make the vacuum degree of the mass analyzer fail to meet the requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to manually fill the holes generated during cutting with materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene membrane to reduce the conductance. However, the operation is relatively complicated and difficult, and there are still thin-walled holes after filling, which makes the flow limiting effect generally poor. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the problems existing in the related art, an object of the present invention is to provide a small quadrupole manufacturing process and a base for preparing the small quadrupole.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a process for manufacturing a small quadrupole, the process comprising:

[0006] An insulating material is selected to prepare a base, and a placement channel is provided on the base;

[0007] The alloy material is roughly processed to obtain a roughly processed metal electrode;

[0008] fixing the metal electrode on the placement channel;

[0009] The metal electrode is cut by wire cutting to obtain a small quadrupole.

[0010] In one embodiment, the step of selecting an insulating material to prepare a base specifically includes:

[0011] Taking the insulating material and sintering it at high temperature to form a shape, and pressing the insulating material with a mold to form a base and place the channel;

[0012] In one embodiment, the step of pressing the insulating material with a mold to form a base and place a channel specifically includes:

[0013] Using a mold to press the insulating material to form a base body and a fixing column disposed on the base body, and pressing a placement channel for fixing a metal electrode on the fixing column;

[0014] In one embodiment, the fixing column is fixedly disposed at the geometric center of the base body, and the fixing column is coaxial with the base body;

[0015] In one embodiment, the placement channel passes through the fixing column and is coaxially arranged with the fixing column.

[0016] In one embodiment, the placement channel includes a cutting channel, and the cutting channel is used to reserve a cutting margin when performing metal cutting for the small quadrupole;

[0017] In one embodiment, the cutting channels are evenly distributed around the placement channel;

[0018] In one embodiment, the fixing column passes through the upper surface and the lower surface of the base body and is integrally formed with the base body;

[0019] In one embodiment, the fixing column is provided with at least four first threaded holes for fixing the metal electrode, and the at least four first threaded holes are all connected to the placement channel;

[0020] In one of the embodiments, the at least four first threaded holes are arranged on the same horizontal plane, and the at least four first threaded holes are evenly arranged on the outside of the placement channel.

[0021] In one embodiment, fixing the metal electrode on the placement channel specifically includes:

[0022] The metal electrode is fixed on the placement channel by connecting the first threaded hole on the base with the second threaded hole on the metal electrode by screws, or,

[0023] The metal electrode is fixed on the placement channel by welding or bonding.

[0024] In one embodiment, the metal electrode includes four electrode rods, and the four electrode rods are composed of four individual electrode rods, two pairs of electrode rods or one quadrupole; the pair of electrode rods is a structure in which two electrode rods are merged into one, and the quadrupole is a structure in which four electrode rods are merged into one.

[0025] In one embodiment, the insulating material is at least one of alumina ceramic, zirconia ceramic, quartz or glass.

[0026] In one embodiment, the alloy material is at least one of stainless steel or Kovar alloy.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a base for preparing a small quadrupole, comprising a base body and a fixing column arranged on the base body.

[0028] The fixing column is fixedly arranged on the geometric center of the base body, the fixing column is coaxial with the base body, and the fixing column is provided with a placement channel for fixing the metal electrode.

[0029] In one embodiment, the placement channel passes through the fixing column and is coaxially arranged with the fixing column.

[0030] In one embodiment, the placement channel includes a cutting channel, and the cutting channel is used to reserve a cutting margin when performing metal cutting on the small quadrupole.

[0031] In one embodiment, the cutting channels are evenly distributed around the placement channel.

[0032] In one embodiment, the number of cutting channels is 4.

[0033] In one embodiment, the cutting channel is a gap between the metal electrode before cutting and the placement channel, wherein the metal electrode before cutting is placed in the placement channel.

[0034] In one embodiment, the fixing column passes through the upper surface and the lower surface of the base body and is integrally formed with the base body.

[0035] In one embodiment, the fixing column is cylindrical or rectangular.

[0036] In one of the embodiments, the fixing column is provided with at least four first threaded holes for fixing the metal electrode, and the at least four first threaded holes are all connected to the placement channel.

[0037] In one of the embodiments, the at least four first threaded holes are arranged on the same horizontal plane, and the at least four first threaded holes are evenly arranged on the outside of the placement channel.

[0038] In one embodiment, the at least four first threaded holes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the placement channel. The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0039] The above-mentioned small quadrupole manufacturing process is to fix the roughly processed metal electrode in the placement channel on the base, and after it is tightly fixed by screws, welding or bonding, perform precise wire cutting to obtain a small quadrupole structure. The manufacturing process of the present invention can reduce the problem of offset when the metal is fixed in the fixing method, and reduce the problems such as asymmetric electrode shape caused by inaccurate positioning during wire cutting;

[0040] The metal electrode is fixed in the placement channel for wire cutting. Compared with the existing process, the existing process needs to reserve a cutting hole on the metal electrode. The cutting hole is used to avoid cutting the non-metallic part during cutting and causing the cutting wire to break. Since the reserved cutting hole will cause the conductance of the finished quadrupole to be too large, it is necessary to manually fill the quadrupole with insulating material to reduce the conductance after cutting. The manufacturing process of the present invention does not need to reserve a cutting hole on the metal electrode, nor does it need to manually fill the quadrupole with insulating material, so the availability and reliability can be guaranteed. The process of assembling the base and the metal electrode first and then fine-machining the quadrupole ensures the structural accuracy, parallelism and other requirements of the quadrupole, and reduces the complexity and unreliability of manual assembly.

[0041] Compared with the small quadrupoles manufactured by the existing process, the small quadrupoles manufactured by the manufacturing process of the present invention do not need to be complicatedly assembled manually, and the precision of wire cutting is much better than that of manual assembly; at the same time, the small quadrupoles manufactured by the manufacturing process of the present invention can reduce gas conductance.

[0042] The above-mentioned base for preparing a small quadrupole, by setting a fixing column and a placement channel for fixing the metal electrode, can reduce the problem of offset when the metal electrode is fixed, and can also reduce problems such as asymmetric electrode shape caused by inaccurate positioning during wire cutting; by setting the placement channel without reserving cutting holes, the flow conductance can be greatly reduced, and there is no need to manually fill the insulating material after wire cutting, so the availability and reliability can be guaranteed.

[0043] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained by the structures particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0045] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the process flow of the small quadrupole manufacturing process in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a base with metal electrodes for preparing a small quadrupole in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the side structure of a base with metal electrodes for preparing a small quadrupole in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a top view of a base with metal electrodes for preparing a small quadrupole in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the center part of the enlarged structure;

[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a base without metal electrodes for preparing a small quadrupole in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a top view of a base for preparing a small quadrupole without a metal electrode in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the center part of the enlarged structure;

[0053] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a base for preparing a small quadrupole with a prepared small quadrupole in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of a top view of the structure of a base for preparing a small quadrupole with a prepared small quadrupole in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Fig.11 The disk for preparing the small quadrupole provided by the present invention is provided with a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the prepared small quadrupole;

[0056] Fig.12 The disk for preparing the small quadrupole provided by the present invention has a side structural schematic diagram of the prepared small quadrupole;

[0057] Fig.13 The disk for preparing the small quadrupole provided by the present invention is a schematic diagram of a top view of the structure of the prepared small quadrupole;

[0058] Fig.14 for Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of the center part of the enlarged structure;

[0059] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a disk for preparing a small quadrupole provided by the present invention;

[0060] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the top view of the structure of the existing disk for preparing a small quadrupole provided by the present invention.

[0061] Reference numerals:

[0062] 1. Base body; 2. Fixed column; 3. Placement channel; 4. First threaded hole; 5. Cutting channel; 6. Disc; 7. Placement hole; 8. Manual filling of insulating material; 9. Metal electrode; 10. Small quadrupole; 11. Reserve cutting space. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] The optional embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the optional embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0064] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the technical field of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0065] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used to describe various information in the present invention, the information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other.

[0066] Unless otherwise specified, the methods and equipment used in the present invention are all conventional reagents, methods and equipment in the technical field.

[0067] In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the small and medium-sized quadrupoles in the related art are first described. In the prior art, the principle of the small quadrupole is consistent with that of the traditional quadrupole. By adjusting the voltage between the four metal electrodes, only ions with a specific mass-to-charge ratio can maintain a stable motion path through the entire quadrupole system. In the current small quadrupole processing technology, due to welding, the ceramic and metal have errors in the concentricity and angle of the respective annular surfaces. The positioning grooves of the wire cutting are made on the ceramic base so as not to affect the shape of the electrode. When cutting with the ceramic base disc as the reference surface, the asymmetric cutting caused by the error will cause the rod to deform, thereby causing the electric field in the quadrupole to be distorted, affecting ion transmission, and even destroying the basic function of the device; in addition, the conductance of the thin quadrupole after wire cutting is still relatively large. For the mass analyzer at the back end of the quadrupole, it needs to reach at least 10 -6 The vacuum degree of Pa level, too large conductance will make the vacuum degree of the mass analyzer fail to meet the requirements, so it is necessary to manually fill the holes generated during cutting with insulating materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene film to reduce the conductance, but the operation is relatively complicated and difficult, and there are still thin-walled holes after filling, which makes the current limiting effect general. Based on this, the present application provides a small quadrupole manufacturing process.

[0068] As attached Figure 1 As shown, a small quadrupole manufacturing process provided in Embodiment 1 of the present application includes:

[0069] S1. Select an insulating material to prepare a base, wherein the base is provided with a placement channel;

[0070] S2. taking the alloy material and performing rough processing to obtain a rough-processed metal electrode;

[0071] S3. Fixing the metal electrode on the placement channel;

[0072] S4. Perform wire cutting on the metal electrode to obtain a small quadrupole.

[0073] It should be noted that the base can be prepared by mold firing, lathe cutting or grinder cutting, etc., which is not specifically limited here; for example, mold firing, the disc blank of the base is pressed with a corresponding mold, the insulating material can be selected from at least one of alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass, and after high-temperature sintering, a fixed column with a placement channel is pressed on the disc blank to form a base blank, and the sintered base blank is finely processed with a grinder or an engraving machine to form the required shape for assembly as shown in the figure, with a processing accuracy of 0.01mm; a simple base blank can also be directly ground;

[0074] It should also be noted that wire cutting is a high-precision EDM wire cutting process. During the wire cutting process, a continuously moving thin metal wire (usually copper wire or molybdenum wire) is used as an electrode, which is assembled between the upper and lower guides and moves along a predetermined trajectory. The workpiece is placed on the workbench and accurately positioned by the control system; during processing, a pulse power supply is applied between the electrode wire and the workpiece to generate a series of spark discharges. Each discharge will produce a tiny erosion point on the surface of the workpiece. Through continuous discharge, the workpiece is gradually cut into the required shape and size; the small quadrupole obtained by wire cutting metal electrodes can achieve very high processing accuracy. The surface roughness of the cut workpiece is low, the surface is smooth and flat, and the processing stability is high.

[0075] A small quadrupole structure is obtained by fixing a roughly processed metal electrode in a placement channel on a base, fixing it tightly with screws, welding or bonding, and then performing precise wire cutting. The manufacturing process of the present invention can reduce the problem of metal offset during fixing, and reduce the problem of asymmetric electrode shape caused by inaccurate positioning during wire cutting.

[0076] The metal electrode is fixed in the placement channel for wire cutting. Compared with the existing process, the existing process needs to reserve a cutting hole on the metal electrode. The cutting hole is used to avoid cutting the non-metallic part during cutting and causing the cutting wire to break. Since the reserved cutting hole will cause the conductance of the finished quadrupole to be too large, it is necessary to manually fill the quadrupole with insulating material to reduce the conductance after cutting. The manufacturing process of the present invention does not need to reserve a cutting hole on the metal electrode, nor does it need to manually fill the quadrupole with insulating material, so the availability and reliability can be guaranteed. The process of assembling the base and the metal electrode first and then fine-machining the quadrupole ensures the structural accuracy, parallelism and other requirements of the quadrupole, and reduces the complexity and unreliability of manual assembly.

[0077] It should be noted that conductance is an important concept in vacuum technology used to describe the ability of gas to flow through a pipe or orifice. Simply put, conductance indicates the gas flow rate through a pipe or component per unit time under unit pressure difference.

[0078] Compared with the small quadrupoles manufactured by the existing process, the small quadrupoles manufactured by the manufacturing process of the present invention do not need to be complicatedly assembled manually, and the precision of wire cutting is much better than that of manual assembly; at the same time, the small quadrupoles manufactured by the manufacturing process of the present invention can reduce gas conductance.

[0079] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the step of using a mold to press the insulating material to form a base and place a channel specifically includes:

[0080] The insulating material is pressed by a mold to form a base body 1 and a fixing column 2 disposed on the base body 1, and a placement channel 3 for fixing a metal electrode 9 is pressed on the fixing column 2;

[0081] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 is fixedly arranged at the geometric center of the base body 1, and the fixing column 2 is coaxial with the base body 1;

[0082] By setting a fixing column 2 and a placement channel 3 for fixing the metal electrode 9, the problem of displacement of the metal electrode 9 when it is fixed can be reduced, and the problem of asymmetric electrode shape caused by inaccurate positioning during wire cutting can also be reduced; by setting the placement channel 3, there is no need to reserve a cutting hole, which can greatly reduce the conductance, and there is no need to manually fill the insulating material after wire cutting, so the availability and reliability can be guaranteed.

[0083] Optionally, the base is made of insulating material, and the insulating material is at least one of alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass.

[0084] It should be noted that wire cutting is required in the preparation of the small quadrupole 10. Wire cutting is a processing method that uses a continuously moving thin metal wire as an electrode to perform pulse spark discharge to erode metal and cut the workpiece into shape. The processing involves a pulse power supply. If the base is not an insulating material, it may cause current leakage or form an unnecessary current loop on the base, which will affect the stability and uniformity of the discharge, and further affect the processing accuracy and surface quality.

[0085] The base is made of insulating materials such as alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass mainly to ensure the accuracy and stability of processing and avoid problems such as current interference and short circuit. The insulating base can ensure that the discharge between the electrode wire and the workpiece follows a predetermined path and method, reducing energy loss and errors. It helps to maintain a stable electric field distribution and make the discharge process more controllable, thereby improving the accuracy and quality of cutting. In addition, the insulating material can also prevent accidental current conduction between the workpiece and other parts of the machine tool, avoiding damage to the machine tool equipment, while also reducing safety risks.

[0086] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the placement channel 3 passes through the fixing column 2 and is coaxially arranged with the fixing column 2. It can be understood that the placement channel 3 has the same length as the fixing column 2, so that the metal electrode 9 is fixed in the placement channel 3 with higher stability.

[0087] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the placement channel 3 includes a cutting channel 5, and the cutting channel 5 is used to reserve a cutting margin when performing metal cutting on the small quadrupole 10;

[0088] It should be noted that if Figure 11-16 As shown, the existing base for preparing the small quadrupole 10 is generally in the shape of a disk. The existing disk 6 for preparing the small quadrupole 10 has a structure with a placement hole 7. Since the hole wall of the placement hole 7 is relatively short, the metal electrode 9 placed therein is prone to instability. When cutting the metal electrode 9, a cutting margin must be reserved, that is, a cutting space 11 is reserved to prevent the metal wire from cutting the non-metallic base during cutting and causing the metal wire to break. Under the premise that the placement hole 7 of the existing disk 6 is unstable for placing the metal electrode 9, the reserved cutting space 11 can only be set on the metal electrode 9, that is, on the cutting path of the metal electrode 9. Therefore, the area of ​​air circulation between the small quadrupoles 10 obtained after cutting is larger, resulting in excessive conductance. For the mass analyzer at the rear end of the quadrupole, it is necessary to reach at least 10 -6 The vacuum degree of Pa level, too large conductance will make the vacuum degree of the mass analyzer fail to meet the requirements, so it is necessary to manually fill the insulating material 8 such as polytetrafluoroethylene film to block the holes generated during cutting to reduce the conductance, but the operation is relatively complicated and difficult, and there is still a reserved cutting space 11 after filling, which makes the current limiting effect general;

[0089] The solution of the present application solves the problem of stability when the fixing column 2 and the placement channel 3 are fixed close to the metal electrode 9, and on the other hand, a cutting channel 5 is provided on the placement channel 3 as a cutting margin or a reserved cutting space when the metal electrode 9 is cut. On the basis of not increasing the air flow area between the finally prepared small quadrupole 10, the conductance of the finally prepared small quadrupole 10 is reduced, so that when the base of the present invention is used to prepare the small quadrupole 10, the high stability of the fixation of the metal electrode 9 and the base and the small conductance of the finally prepared small quadrupole 10 are solved at the same time.

[0090] It should be noted that the conductance formula shows that in a high vacuum environment, the gas flow state is considered to be a molecular flow state, and the conductance formula of a thin circular hole is M is the gas molar mass, which is approximately equal to 0.028 kg / mol, d is the diameter of the circular hole (m), and U0≈90d2. In a long tube with the same circular cross-section, the conductance formula is L is the tube length, roughly recorded as L=20d. A single hole can reduce the conductance by about 15 times, and a total of 4 thin-walled holes can reduce the conductance by about 60 times.

[0091] An optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the cutting channels 5 are evenly distributed around the placement channel 3;

[0092] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, there are four cutting channels 5, which reserve space for slow wire cutting during the preparation of the small quadrupole 10, thereby avoiding the cutting wire from cutting the non-metallic base part and causing the wire to break, leaving a cutting margin.

[0093] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the cutting channel 5 is arranged at the intersection of the four electrode rods in the metal electrode 9 and at the intersection with the placement channel 3, that is, at the intersection of two electrode rods and the placement channel 3, that is, the position of the cutting channel 5 is on the path of the metal wire cutting during slow wire cutting. If it is set at other positions, the air flow area of ​​the small quadrupole 10 after cutting will be increased, resulting in an increase in conductance.

[0094] An optional method in an embodiment of the present invention is that when the metal electrode 9 before cutting is placed in the placement channel 3, the cutting channel 5 is the gap between the metal electrode 9 before cutting and the placement channel 3; it should be noted that the cutting channel 5 can be understood as a part of the placement channel 3. When the metal electrode 9 before cutting is placed in the placement channel 3, the cutting channel 5 is the gap between the metal electrode 9 before cutting and the placement channel 3, which is used to reserve a cutting margin for metal cutting of the small quadrupole 10, and the cutting channel 5 also runs through the fixed column 2.

[0095] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the placement channel 3 is circular or square, and the placement channel 3 is used to just place the metal electrode 9 to be cut;

[0096] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the base is circular or square in shape. The circular base has good symmetry, and the force and electric field distribution in all directions on the circumference are relatively uniform, which helps to improve the stability and accuracy of the quadrupole system, and is relatively simple to manufacture. During the processing, the circular geometric shape is easier to achieve high-precision manufacturing and assembly; the square base has high space utilization. In some specific instrument designs, the square base can more effectively utilize limited space and is convenient for layout and connection with other components; and the square base is easy to install and fix, and the edges and corners of the square can provide more fixing points and installation positions, which is conducive to the stable installation of the quadrupole inside the instrument; in some miniaturized mass spectrometers, due to limited space, a square base is selected to prepare the quadrupole to better adapt to the compact structure of the instrument; and the quadrupole prepared on the circular base has better symmetry and electric field uniformity.

[0097] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 passes through the upper surface and the lower surface of the base body 1 and is integrally formed with the base body 1;

[0098] It should be noted that both ends of the fixing column 2 extend out of the upper and lower surfaces of the base body 1 respectively, and the length of the fixing column 2 is greater than the thickness of the base body 1, so that the length of the placement channel 3 is also greater than the thickness of the basic body 1, so that the metal electrode 9 is more firmly fixed in the placement channel 3.

[0099] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, both ends of the fixing column 2 are further provided with a truncated cone structure; the truncated cone structure can achieve the effect of chamfering, can be used for deburring, and is convenient for assembly;

[0100] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 is cylindrical or rectangular. It should be noted that when the fixing column 2 is cylindrical, its cross-sectional shape is circular; when the fixing column 2 is rectangular, its cross-sectional shape is square.

[0101] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 is provided with at least four first threaded holes 4 for fixing the metal electrode 9, and the at least four first threaded holes 4 are all connected to the placement channel 3; in practical applications, the first threaded holes 4 can be obtained by drilling and tapping on the base, and in the process of preparing the small quadrupole 10, the metal electrode 9 is placed in the placement channel 3, and the metal electrode 9 can be correspondingly provided with a second threaded hole, and the metal electrode 9 can be fixedly connected to the placement channel 3 by means of screws through the first threaded hole 4 and the second threaded hole. In this manner, the connection between the metal electrode 9 and the base is highly stable, so that the subsequent slow-wire cutting accuracy is higher;

[0102] Optionally, there are four first threaded holes 4, and each first threaded hole 4 corresponds one-to-one to a single electrode rod, so that each electrode rod of the prepared small quadrupole 10 has better stability.

[0103] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the at least four first threaded holes 4 are arranged on the same horizontal plane, and the at least four first threaded holes 4 are evenly arranged on the outside of the placement channel 3 .

[0104] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the at least four first threaded holes 4 are perpendicular to the axial direction of the placement channel 3. By setting the first threaded holes 4 to be perpendicular to the axial direction of the placement channel 3, it is more stable when the metal electrode 9 is connected using screws.

[0105] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the roughly machined metal electrodes may be machined into four independent ones, or may be formed into a group of two or directly into a whole of four to facilitate cooperation with the insulating base.

[0106] An optional method in an embodiment of the present invention is that wire-cut machining can process the metal electrode rod into a desired shape, which can be a circular cross-section or an ideal parabolic shape; wire-cut machining can determine the shape and position of the four electrodes to ensure the accuracy of the electrode shape.

[0107] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the selecting of insulating materials to prepare the base specifically includes:

[0108] The insulating material is sintered at high temperature and pressed with a mold to form a base and place a channel.

[0109] In practical applications, taking ceramic materials as an example, ceramics can be made of alumina, zirconia, machinable ceramics and other materials. After the ceramic material is sintered at high temperature, it is pressed with a corresponding mold to form a base and place the channel, such as Figure 6 Shape shown.

[0110] An optional method in an embodiment of the present invention is to use a grinder or engraving machine to high-precision finish-process the base and the placement channel formed by pressing, and the processing accuracy is less than 0.01mm. Through the finishing process, the accuracy of the base and the placement channel is greatly improved, which meets the accuracy requirements for preparing small quadrupoles.

[0111] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, fixing the metal electrode on the placement channel specifically includes:

[0112] The metal electrode is fixed on the placement channel by connecting the first threaded hole on the base with the second threaded hole on the metal electrode by screws, or,

[0113] The metal electrode is fixed on the placement channel by welding or bonding; in an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, a first threaded hole is provided on the base, and a second threaded hole corresponding to the second threaded hole is provided on the metal electrode;

[0114] In practical applications, the first threaded hole can be obtained by drilling and tapping on the base, and the second threaded hole can be obtained by drilling and tapping at a position corresponding to the metal electrode and the first threaded hole. Through the cooperation of the first threaded hole and the second threaded hole, the metal electrode can be fixedly connected to the placement channel by means of screws. In this way, the connection between the metal electrode and the base is highly stable, so that the subsequent slow wire cutting accuracy is higher;

[0115] The metal electrode and the placement channel are fixedly connected by welding or bonding, so that the connection between the metal electrode and the base is highly stable and the subsequent wire-cutting cutting accuracy is higher.

[0116] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the metal electrode includes four electrode rods, and the four electrode rods are composed of four individual electrode rods, two pairs of electrode rods or one quadrupole; the pair of electrode rods is a structure in which two electrode rods are merged into one, and the quadrupole is a structure in which four electrode rods are merged into one.

[0117] It should be noted that the rough-machined metal electrode can obtain a small quadrupole after wire-cutting, wherein the metal electrode can be composed of four rough-machined electrode rods that can be separated from each other; the metal electrode can also be composed of two rough-machined electrode rods that can be separated from each other, and the rough-machined pair of electrode rods is a structure in which two electrode rods are merged together, which can be divided into two separable electrode rods after wire-cutting, that is, the two electrode rods are made into one before cutting; the metal electrode can also be composed of a rough-machined integrated quadrupole, and the rough-machined quadrupole is a structure in which four electrode rods are merged together, which can be divided into four separable electrode rods after wire-cutting, that is, the four electrode rods are made into one before cutting, and the integrated quadrupole is easier and more stably fixed in the placement channel.

[0118] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the insulating material is at least one of alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass.

[0119] It should be noted that the subsequent wire cutting is a processing method that uses a continuously moving thin metal wire as an electrode to perform pulse spark discharge to erode metal and cut the workpiece into shape; the processing involves a pulse power supply. If the base is not an insulating material, it may cause current leakage or form an unnecessary current loop on the base, which will affect the stability and uniformity of the discharge, and further affect the processing accuracy and surface quality;

[0120] The base is made of insulating materials such as alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass mainly to ensure the accuracy and stability of processing and avoid problems such as current interference and short circuit. The insulating base can ensure that the discharge between the electrode wire and the workpiece follows a predetermined path and method, reducing energy loss and errors. It helps to maintain a stable electric field distribution and make the discharge process more controllable, thereby improving the accuracy and quality of cutting. In addition, the insulating material can also prevent accidental current conduction between the workpiece and other parts of the machine tool, avoiding damage to the machine tool equipment, while also reducing safety risks.

[0121] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the alloy material is at least one of stainless steel or Kovar alloy;

[0122] It should be noted that stainless steel or Kovar alloy has the characteristics of certain conductivity, good thermal stability, moderate hardness, and few internal defects. The alloy material for wire cutting needs to have a certain conductivity to ensure that effective spark discharge can be generated during the discharge machining process to achieve material removal. If the conductivity is too poor, it may lead to low machining efficiency and difficulty in ensuring precision. Since local high temperatures will be generated during the wire cutting process, the alloy material should have good thermal stability to avoid phase change, softening or deformation at high temperatures, thereby affecting machining accuracy and surface quality. However, too hard alloy materials may increase the difficulty of cutting, increase electrode wire wear, and affect machining efficiency and cost. Too soft materials may cause deformation and other problems during machining. The alloy material should minimize defects such as pores, inclusions, and cracks. These defects may affect the stability of discharge, reduce machining accuracy, and even cause problems such as wire breakage.

[0123] like Figure 2-Figure 10 As shown, a base for preparing a small quadrupole 10 provided in the second embodiment of the present application includes a base body 1 and a fixing column 2 arranged on the base body 1.

[0124] The fixing column 2 is fixedly arranged at the geometric center of the base body 1 , the fixing column 2 is coaxial with the base body 1 , and the fixing column 2 is provided with a placement channel 3 for fixing the metal electrode 9 .

[0125] By setting a fixing column 2 and a placement channel 3 for fixing the metal electrode 9, the problem of displacement of the metal electrode 9 when it is fixed can be reduced, and the problem of asymmetric electrode shape caused by inaccurate positioning during wire cutting can also be reduced; by setting the placement channel 3, there is no need to reserve a cutting hole, which can greatly reduce the conductance, and there is no need to manually fill the insulating material after wire cutting, so the availability and reliability can be guaranteed.

[0126] Optionally, the base is made of insulating material, and the insulating material is at least one of alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass.

[0127] It should be noted that wire cutting is required in the preparation of the small quadrupole 10. Wire cutting is a processing method that uses a continuously moving thin metal wire as an electrode to perform pulse spark discharge to erode metal and cut the workpiece into shape. The processing involves a pulse power supply. If the base is not an insulating material, it may cause current leakage or form an unnecessary current loop on the base, which will affect the stability and uniformity of the discharge, and further affect the processing accuracy and surface quality.

[0128] The base is made of insulating materials such as alumina ceramics, zirconia ceramics, quartz or glass mainly to ensure the accuracy and stability of processing and avoid problems such as current interference and short circuit. The insulating base can ensure that the discharge between the electrode wire and the workpiece follows a predetermined path and method, reducing energy loss and errors. It helps to maintain a stable electric field distribution and make the discharge process more controllable, thereby improving the accuracy and quality of cutting. In addition, the insulating material can also prevent accidental current conduction between the workpiece and other parts of the machine tool, avoiding damage to the machine tool equipment, while also reducing safety risks.

[0129] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the placement channel 3 passes through the fixing column 2 and is coaxially arranged with the fixing column 2. It can be understood that the placement channel 3 has the same length as the fixing column 2, so that the metal electrode 9 is fixed in the placement channel 3 with higher stability.

[0130] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the placement channel 3 includes a cutting channel 5, and the cutting channel 5 is used to reserve a cutting margin when performing metal cutting on the small quadrupole 10;

[0131] It should be noted that if Figure 11-16 As shown, the existing base for preparing the small quadrupole 10 is generally in the shape of a disk. The existing disk 6 for preparing the small quadrupole 10 has a structure with a placement hole 7. Since the hole wall of the placement hole 7 is relatively short, the metal electrode 9 placed therein is prone to instability. When cutting the metal electrode 9, a cutting margin must be reserved, that is, a cutting space 11 is reserved to prevent the metal wire from cutting the non-metallic base during cutting and causing the metal wire to break. Under the premise that the placement hole 7 of the existing disk 6 is unstable for placing the metal electrode 9, the reserved cutting space 11 can only be set on the metal electrode 9, that is, on the cutting path of the metal electrode 9. Therefore, the area of ​​air circulation between the small quadrupoles 10 obtained after cutting is larger, resulting in excessive conductance. For the mass analyzer at the rear end of the quadrupole, it is necessary to reach at least 10 -6The vacuum degree of Pa level, too large conductance will make the vacuum degree of the mass analyzer fail to meet the requirements, so it is necessary to manually fill the insulating material 8 such as polytetrafluoroethylene film to block the holes generated during cutting to reduce the conductance, but the operation is relatively complicated and difficult, and there is still a reserved cutting space 11 after filling, which makes the current limiting effect general;

[0132] The solution of the present application solves the problem of stability when the fixing column 2 and the placement channel 3 are fixed close to the metal electrode 9, and on the other hand, a cutting channel 5 is provided on the placement channel 3 as a cutting margin or a reserved cutting space when the metal electrode 9 is cut. On the basis of not increasing the air flow area between the finally prepared small quadrupole 10, the conductance of the finally prepared small quadrupole 10 is reduced, so that when the base of the present invention is used to prepare the small quadrupole 10, the high stability of the fixation of the metal electrode 9 and the base and the small conductance of the finally prepared small quadrupole 10 are solved at the same time.

[0133] It should be noted that the conductance formula shows that in a high vacuum environment, the gas flow state is considered to be a molecular flow state, and the conductance formula of a thin circular hole is M is the gas molar mass, which is approximately equal to 0.028 kg / mol, d is the diameter of the circular hole (m), and U0≈90d2. In a long tube with the same circular cross-section, the conductance formula is L is the tube length, roughly recorded as L=20d. A single hole can reduce the conductance by about 15 times, and a total of 4 thin-walled holes can reduce the conductance by about 60 times.

[0134] An optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the cutting channels 5 are evenly distributed around the placement channel 3;

[0135] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, there are four cutting channels 5, which reserve space for slow wire cutting during the preparation of the small quadrupole 10, thereby avoiding the cutting wire from cutting the non-metallic base part and causing the wire to break, leaving a cutting margin.

[0136] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the cutting channel 5 is arranged at the intersection of the four electrode rods in the metal electrode 9 and at the intersection with the placement channel 3, that is, at the intersection of two electrode rods and the placement channel 3, that is, the position of the cutting channel 5 is on the path of the metal wire cutting during slow wire cutting. If it is set at other positions, the air flow area of ​​the small quadrupole 10 after cutting will be increased, resulting in an increase in conductance.

[0137] An optional method in an embodiment of the present invention is that when the metal electrode 9 before cutting is placed in the placement channel 3, the cutting channel 5 is the gap between the metal electrode 9 before cutting and the placement channel 3; it should be noted that the cutting channel 5 can be understood as a part of the placement channel 3. When the metal electrode 9 before cutting is placed in the placement channel 3, the cutting channel 5 is the gap between the metal electrode 9 before cutting and the placement channel 3, which is used to reserve a cutting margin for metal cutting of the small quadrupole 10, and the cutting channel 5 also runs through the fixed column 2.

[0138] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the placement channel 3 is circular or square, and the placement channel 3 is used to just place the metal electrode 9 to be cut;

[0139] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the base is circular or square in shape. The circular base has good symmetry, and the force and electric field distribution in all directions on the circumference are relatively uniform, which helps to improve the stability and accuracy of the quadrupole system, and is relatively simple to manufacture. During the processing, the circular geometric shape is easier to achieve high-precision manufacturing and assembly; the square base has high space utilization. In some specific instrument designs, the square base can more effectively utilize limited space and is convenient for layout and connection with other components; and the square base is easy to install and fix, and the edges and corners of the square can provide more fixing points and installation positions, which is conducive to the stable installation of the quadrupole inside the instrument; in some miniaturized mass spectrometers, due to limited space, a square base is selected to prepare the quadrupole to better adapt to the compact structure of the instrument; and the quadrupole prepared on the circular base has better symmetry and electric field uniformity.

[0140] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 passes through the upper surface and the lower surface of the base body 1 and is integrally formed with the base body 1;

[0141] It should be noted that both ends of the fixing column 2 extend out of the upper and lower surfaces of the base body 1 respectively, and the length of the fixing column 2 is greater than the thickness of the base body 1, so that the length of the placement channel 3 is also greater than the thickness of the basic body 1, so that the metal electrode 9 is more firmly fixed in the placement channel 3.

[0142] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, both ends of the fixing column 2 are further provided with a truncated cone structure; the truncated cone structure can achieve the effect of chamfering, can be used for deburring, and is convenient for assembly;

[0143] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 is cylindrical or rectangular. It should be noted that when the fixing column 2 is cylindrical, its cross-sectional shape is circular; when the fixing column 2 is rectangular, its cross-sectional shape is square.

[0144] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing column 2 is provided with at least four first threaded holes 4 for fixing the metal electrode 9, and the at least four first threaded holes 4 are all connected to the placement channel 3; in practical applications, the first threaded holes 4 can be obtained by drilling and tapping on the base, and in the process of preparing the small quadrupole 10, the metal electrode 9 is placed in the placement channel 3, and the metal electrode 9 can be correspondingly provided with a second threaded hole, and the metal electrode 9 can be fixedly connected to the placement channel 3 by means of screws through the first threaded hole 4 and the second threaded hole. In this manner, the connection between the metal electrode 9 and the base is highly stable, so that the subsequent slow-wire cutting accuracy is higher;

[0145] Optionally, there are four first threaded holes 4, and each first threaded hole 4 corresponds one-to-one to a single electrode rod, so that each electrode rod of the prepared small quadrupole 10 has better stability.

[0146] In an optional manner in the embodiment of the present invention, the at least four first threaded holes 4 are arranged on the same horizontal plane, and the at least four first threaded holes 4 are evenly arranged on the outside of the placement channel 3 .

[0147] In an optional manner in an embodiment of the present invention, the at least four first threaded holes 4 are perpendicular to the axial direction of the placement channel 3. By setting the first threaded holes 4 to be perpendicular to the axial direction of the placement channel 3, it is more stable when the metal electrode 9 is connected using screws.

[0148] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A small quadrupole manufacturing process, It is characterized in that The process comprises: An insulating material is selected to prepare a base, and a placement channel is provided on the base; The alloy material is roughly processed to obtain a roughly processed metal electrode; fixing the metal electrode on the placement channel; The metal electrode is cut by wire cutting to obtain a small quadrupole.

2. The process for manufacturing a small quadrupole according to claim 1, Features: The step of selecting an insulating material to prepare a base specifically includes: The insulating material is sintered at high temperature and pressed with a mold to form a base and place a channel.

3. The process for manufacturing the small quadrupole according to claim 1, Features: The step of fixing the metal electrode on the placement channel specifically includes: The metal electrode is fixed on the placement channel by connecting the first threaded hole on the base and the second threaded hole on the metal electrode by screws, or, The metal electrode is fixed on the placement channel by welding or bonding.

4. A base for preparing a small quadrupole, Features: It includes a base body and a fixing column arranged on the base body. The fixing column is fixedly arranged on the geometric center of the base body, the fixing column is coaxial with the base body, and the fixing column is provided with a placement channel for fixing the metal electrode.

5. The base for preparing a small quadrupole according to claim 4, Features: The placement channel passes through the fixing column and is coaxially arranged with the fixing column.

6. The base for preparing a small quadrupole according to claim 4, Features: The placement channel includes a cutting channel, and the cutting channel is used to reserve a cutting margin when performing metal cutting for the small quadrupole.

7. The base for preparing a small quadrupole according to claim 6, Features: The cutting channels are evenly distributed around the placement channel.

8. The base for preparing a small quadrupole according to claim 4, Features: The fixing column passes through the upper surface and the lower surface of the base body and is integrally formed with the base body.

9. The base for preparing a small quadrupole according to claim 4, Features: The fixing column is provided with at least four first threaded holes for fixing the metal electrode, and the at least four first threaded holes are all communicated with the placement channel.

10. The base for preparing a small quadrupole according to claim 9, Features: The at least four first threaded holes are arranged on the same horizontal plane, and the at least four first threaded holes are evenly arranged outside the placement channel.

Images