A multi-channel ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi-channel ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments; the device is mainly used in instruments such as ion mobility mass spectrometry to realize the effective transmission of ions in various groups of components and various levels of vacuum environment. The device includes two parts: a connecting fixture and an ion transmission component. The fixture is used to fix the ion transmission component, and the ion transmission component is a circuit board used to assemble an ion transmission channel. The circuit board includes components such as an ion gate, a traveling wave electrode, a DC protection electrode, and has been integrated on a circuit board. When in use, it is only necessary to place the two circuit boards in a mirror image and install them with fixtures. The present invention can realize functions such as multi-channel ion transmission, diversion, and guidance, and requires few parts and is simple to install, which greatly avoids the problems of system error amplification, difficult disassembly and assembly, long maintenance time, and high cost caused by multiple parts combination.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of mass spectrometry analysis, and in particular to a multi-path ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments. Background Art

[0002] A mass spectrometer is an advanced, high-end analytical instrument with high sensitivity, strong specificity, and widespread application. Its main structure includes a vacuum system, ion source, ion transmission device, mass analyzer, and signal detection system. It is widely used in many fields such as environment, food, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences.

[0003] The basic principle of mass spectrometry is to ionize the sample to be tested using an ion source, then feed it into the instrument's mass analyzer for separation. The ions are then captured by an amplifier circuit and amplified into electrical signals. Software-based signal analysis reconstructs the signals and outputs them as a mass spectrum. Ion sources that can continuously ionize samples at ambient pressure, such as ambient-pressure electrospray sources and ambient-pressure laser sources, are now widely available. However, high-performance mass analyzers and signal amplifiers must operate in a high vacuum environment. To address the problems of impurity introduction, ion loss, and ion flow interruption during the process of sample ionization and injection into the mass analyzer at ambient pressure, a variety of ion transmission devices have emerged, including but not limited to quadrupoles, octopoles, and ion funnels. However, traditional mechanical devices have high processing costs, high precision requirements, a large number of parts, and long maintenance and cleaning times. This is especially true when faced with multi-channel or multi-path ion separation requirements, making the instrumentation even more complex and difficult to resolve. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a multi-path ion transmission device for use in mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments. The multi-path ion transmission device of the present invention features a simple structure, easy assembly and disassembly, low manufacturing cost, and ease of maintenance and replacement. It can achieve multi-path ion transmission within a limited space.

[0005] The technical solutions of the present invention are as follows.

[0006] A multi-path ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments, comprising two mirror-symmetrical printed circuit boards, each having two sides: one side being a wiring surface for arranging circuit connections and routing; and the other side being a working surface on which planar electrodes are arranged to form an electric field when a voltage is applied.

[0007] The electrodes include a gate electrode, a transmission electrode array, a DC protection electrode, and a grounding electrode. The gate electrodes are arranged at the front and rear ends of the transmission electrode array, and the DC protection electrodes are arranged at the left and right sides of the transmission electrode array. According to their functions, they are respectively an ion gate module, an ion transmission module, a DC protection module, and a grounding module; wherein:

[0008] Ion gate module, used to control the on and off of ion flow;

[0009] An ion transport module, used to guide and propel the ion flow in a given direction;

[0010] DC protection module, used to constrain the radial diffusion of ions and gather ions to reduce ion loss and divergence distance;

[0011] The grounding module is used to ground the excess exposed parts of the circuit board to release the charge and prevent the ions attached to the non-working area of ​​the circuit board from accumulating and forming charge accumulation;

[0012] Based on the arrangement of electrodes, the printed circuit board is divided into a front-stage ion gate area, a peripheral protection area, an ion transmission area and a rear-stage ion gate area; a plurality of interconnected ion transmission modules are arranged in the working area between the two boards where the front-stage gate circuit enters, and there are ion gate modules in between to control the on and off of the ion transmission path, so as to control different ion gate switches as needed to guide ions to different ion transmission paths.

[0013] In the present invention, the electrodes can be manufactured using bare copper, immersion gold, tin-spraying and other printed circuit board processes or any other process that can realize the manufacture of electrodes on the surface of a circuit board.

[0014] In the present invention, a DC voltage is applied to the ion gate module, the DC protection module, and the grounding module, and a DC voltage and a radio frequency voltage are applied to the ion transmission module.

[0015] In the present invention, through holes are provided at both ends of the circuit board for cooperating with fixing members to locate the position of the circuit board and to fix the circuit board to prevent displacement and shaking.

[0016] In the present invention, the fixing piece has a mountain-shaped appearance.

[0017] In the present invention, the distance between the two circuit boards is adjusted by changing the thickness of the middle wall of the fixing member or by adding a gasket.

[0018] In light of the aforementioned issues with conventional ion funnel systems, such as the large number of parts, complex structure, time-consuming and costly disassembly, cleaning, and maintenance, and the fact that they only enable single-path ion transmission, the present invention has designed a multi-path ion transmission device based on printed circuit board technology. Compared to existing technologies, the present invention offers the following advantages:

[0019] Compared to conventional ion funnels, which rely on stacked metal rings without re-inspection, or quadrupole and octopole systems requiring high-precision metal transmission rods, the device of this invention eliminates the need for numerous components to be installed, removed, and cleaned. Furthermore, it enables multi-path ion transmission and guidance, improving space utilization efficiency and enabling the separate guidance and output of ions at different time sequences. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a single-chip circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a fixing member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the assembly of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] The accompanying drawings are denoted as follows:

[0024] 1-working surface, 2-ground electrode, 3-gate electrode, 4-transmission electrode array, 5-DC protection electrode, 6-fixing hole, 7-steering gate electrode, 8-middle wall, 9-side wall, 10-circuit board fixing hole, 11-external fixing hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] The present invention provides a multi-channel ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments, wherein the ion transmission component is a printed circuit board (PCB) with specifically arranged electrodes and connecting lines. The PCB is made of Rogers board material or other hard brushed PCB materials. The PCB has two sides, namely a wiring surface and a working surface 1. The wiring surface connects different modules on the PCB to form an effective circuit by using internal wiring. The wiring surface is used to arrange various wires and external power interfaces, and is used to achieve electrical connections within each functional module, as well as connections between functional modules and between functional modules and external circuits. When encountering complex circuits or additional requirements, multi-layer board technology can also be used for multi-layer wiring. The working surface 1 is used to generate different pseudopotential fields after applying a given voltage to achieve functions such as guiding, blocking, focusing, and isolating ion flow. During operation, the working surfaces 1 of the two PCBs are placed opposite each other, and the two ends are clamped into the fixing parts and tightened with screws and nuts. After that, the wires are connected and a given voltage is applied, and the ions are released from the front ion gate into the gap between the two plates, and the ion transmission device can then guide and transmit the ions.

[0027] Multiple sets of electrodes are drawn on the working surface 1, including a gate electrode 3, a transmission electrode array 4, a DC shield electrode 5, and a ground electrode 2. These modules are categorized by function as follows: an ion gate module, which controls the on / off flow of ions; an ion transmission module, which guides and propels ions in a given direction; a DC shield module, which constrains radial ion diffusion and concentrates ions to reduce ion loss and dispersion; and a grounding module, which grounds exposed portions of the circuit board to release charge and prevent ions from accumulating in non-working areas. The ion gate, DC shield, and grounding modules require DC voltages, while the ion transmission module requires both DC and RF voltages. The specific voltage and frequency are determined based on actual usage requirements, such as ambient pressure, the mass-to-charge ratio of the target ions, the desired ion channel on / off frequency, and the transmission path. The working surface electrodes can be fabricated using bare copper, immersion gold, tin plating, or other processes.

[0028] In the working area between the two plates where the pre-gate circuit enters, multiple interconnected ion transmission modules are arranged, each with an ion gate module controlling the on / off of the ion transmission path. Ions can be directed to different ion transmission paths by controlling different ion gate switches as needed.

[0029] Through holes are provided at both ends of the circuit board for use with the fixture to position the board and prevent movement. The fixture is shaped like a triangle and features two grooves for securing the board and connecting the entire assembly to other devices and components. Made of aluminum alloy, other metals or polymers with acceptable hardness are also acceptable. The fixture groove has threaded holes running through it on both sides for positioning and securing the circuit board. During assembly, align the edge of the circuit board with the fixture slot. After aligning the through holes on the edge of the circuit board with the fixing holes on the fixture, screws are inserted through the outer wall of the fixture, followed by a nut, and then the circuit board. The nuts are tightened to secure the circuit board against the middle wall of the fixture. The other circuit board is secured in the same manner. To adjust the spacing between the two circuit boards during use, in addition to adjusting the thickness of the fixture's middle wall, screws can also be inserted through the outer wall of the fixture, followed by a nut, then the circuit board, and finally a washer. This can be done by tightening the nuts to secure the circuit board against the middle wall of the fixture, thereby simultaneously adjusting the spacing between the two boards.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] In an embodiment, a multi-channel ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments is provided, such as Figure 3 As shown in FIG, it is specifically composed of two printed circuit boards and two U-shaped fixing members. By applying a specific current to the circuit boards, ions input into the inter-plate gap formed by the circuit boards can be moved forward along a given transmission electrode direction between the circuit boards.

[0032] Specifically, the device is Figure 3 Assemble the two circuit boards in this manner. The working surfaces 1 of the two circuit boards are placed face-to-face, mirrored, and clamped into the two grooves formed by the side walls 9 and the center wall 8 of the fixture. Align the circuit board fixing holes 6 with the circuit board positioning holes 10 of the fixture. Nuts are then placed and screwed through them, following the pattern of circuit board fixing holes 10, nuts, and fixing holes 6. Tighten the nuts until the working surfaces 1 of the circuit boards are in close contact with the center wall 8 of the fixture. Finally, secure the assembly to the desired location on the other instrument using screws through the external fixing holes 11.

[0033] Figure 1 The circuit board shown has a substrate 1 etched with various specific electrode arrays on one side. After applying a specific radio frequency signal and a direct current signal to the transmission electrode array 4, an ion transmission path can be formed to guide the ions to move along the transmission electrode direction. Applying a certain direct current voltage to the gate electrode 3 can be used to block / connect the ion transmission paths at both ends. The direct current protection electrode 5 can reduce the natural radial diffusion of ions in the ion channel around it after applying a direct current voltage. Applying a direct current voltage to the steering gate electrode 7 can selectively control the ions to advance along the specified ion path and eventually transfer them to the next level device through the transmission device. Based on this, up to three paths of ions can be simultaneously transmitted between the two plates, or any combination of paths can be used to alternately transmit ions.

[0034] The above describes specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. The embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other in any manner unless there is a conflict.

Claims

1. A multi-channel ion transmission device for mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry instruments, characterized in that: The device comprises two mirror-symmetrical printed circuit boards, each of which is divided into two sides: one side is a wiring side for arranging circuit connections and routing; the other side is a working side, on which planar electrodes are arranged to form an electric field after voltage is applied; The electrodes include a gate electrode, a transmission electrode array, a DC protection electrode, and a grounding electrode. The gate electrodes are arranged at the front and rear ends of the transmission electrode array, and the DC protection electrodes are arranged at the left and right sides of the transmission electrode array. According to their functions, they are respectively an ion gate module, an ion transmission module, a DC protection module, and a grounding module; wherein: Ion gate module, used to control the on and off of ion flow; An ion transport module, used to guide and propel the ion flow in a given direction; DC protection module, used to constrain the radial diffusion of ions and gather ions to reduce ion loss and divergence distance; The grounding module is used to ground the excess exposed parts of the circuit board to release the charge and prevent the ions attached to the non-working area of ​​the circuit board from accumulating and forming charge accumulation; Based on the arrangement of electrodes, the printed circuit board is divided into a front-stage ion gate area, a peripheral protection area, an ion transmission area and a rear-stage ion gate area; a plurality of interconnected ion transmission modules are arranged in the working area between the two boards where the front-stage gate circuit enters, and there are ion gate modules in between to control the on and off of the ion transmission path, so as to control different ion gate switches as needed to guide ions to different ion transmission paths.

2. The multi-path ion transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrodes are made of immersion gold, tin plating or bare copper.

3. The multi-path ion transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A DC voltage is applied to the ion gate module, the DC protection module, and the grounding module, and a DC voltage and a radio frequency voltage are applied to the ion transmission module.

4. The multi-path ion transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through holes are opened at both ends of the circuit board to cooperate with the fixing parts to locate the position of the circuit board and fix the circuit board to prevent displacement and shaking.

5. The multi-path ion transmission device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fixing piece has a mountain shape.

6. The multi-path ion transmission device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The distance between the two circuit boards can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the middle wall of the fixing piece or by adding a spacer.

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