Ion lens group for preparing mass spectrum

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of mass spectrum analyzers, and particularly relates to an ion lens group applied to mass spectrum preparation, the ion lens group comprises two groups of lenses, each group of lens comprises a shell, a circular ring electrode and an insulation pad, and a small hole electrode is arranged in the shell of one group of lens; the circular ring electrodes and the insulation pads are alternately and coaxially arranged to prevent mutual contact between the circular ring electrodes. Ions at the front end enter from one side of the lens group, pass through the two groups of lenses and then are converged behind. According to the ion lens, a traditional ion lens is improved, the number of the electrodes is increased, the ion lens can be used in a long cavity, and the purpose of converging divergent ions is achieved. The invention can solve the problem of high-vacuum ion transmission at the rear end of the prepared mass spectrum, and has a wide application prospect in the technical field of mass spectrum.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mass spectrometry analysis technology, specifically an ion lens group used in the preparation of mass spectrometers. Background Technology

[0002] An ion lens is a key optical element for charged particles, whose core function is to focus, deflect, and control the shape of an ion beam using an electromagnetic field. Compared to photons or electrons, ions have higher mass and momentum, which presents unique challenges in the design and manufacture of ion lenses. These devices can effectively manipulate and shape charged particle beams through precisely controlled electromagnetic field distribution, making them indispensable fundamental components in many high-tech fields.

[0003] In mass spectrometry instruments, ion lenses are key components for achieving high-sensitivity detection, and ensuring efficient ion transport in the mass spectrometer is a crucial issue to consider during its development. Due to design limitations, there is a considerable distance between the ions emitted from the analytical quadrupole and the electron multiplier. Therefore, to guarantee stable transport, a new lens structure needs to be designed to ensure that the ions converge to a relatively small area.

[0004] In recent years, several patents related to the tuning of ionization source signals in mass spectrometers have been published. These include:

[0005] An invention patent published on September 9, 2025, with publication number CN120613256A, discloses an ion aggregation method, including the following steps: ions sequentially pass through an incident lens, a multipole, and an exit lens; a compensation voltage E is obtained based on the mass and charge number of the ions; the compensation voltage E is applied to the incident lens and the exit lens, and the ions are focused at the inlet of the incident lens and the outlet of the exit lens, respectively. Although this method has advantages such as good focusing effect and can be applied to ion transport, this transport method is radio frequency (RF) transmission, which is not suitable as a back-end transmission method for instruments and has high requirements for RF power supplies.

[0006] Published on September 9, 2025, with publication number CN120613255A, this invention patent discloses a self-constrained, laterally extended ion optical lens device, comprising: a cuboid vacuum cavity and an ion lens device; the ion lens device includes an entrance slit, an exit slit, and an electrode assembly; the electrode assembly includes a conical plate electrode assembly and a parallel plate electrode assembly; the first end of the conical plate electrode assembly forms the entrance slit of the ion optical lens, the last end of the conical plate electrode assembly connects to the first end of the parallel plate electrode assembly, and the last end of the parallel plate electrode assembly forms the exit slit of the ion optical lens; a cluster beam generation device outlet is provided on one side of the cuboid vacuum cavity, and the ion lens device is placed inside the cuboid vacuum cavity. Although this device increases the cluster beam intensity entering and leaving the ion optical section and improves cluster yield while maintaining the same beam density as in the prior art, its structure is relatively complex and difficult to install at the rear end where space requirements are strict. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problem of long-distance transmission at the back end of mass spectrometry preparation, the present invention aims to provide an ion lens group for use in mass spectrometry preparation.

[0008] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0009] The present invention includes two sets of lenses arranged opposite to each other, namely lens A and lens B, wherein both lens A and lens B have light-transmitting holes along the axial direction;

[0010] The lens A includes a housing A, a ring electrode A, a pinhole electrode, and an insulating pad A. The pinhole electrode is located inside the housing A near one end of the lens B. Multiple ring electrodes A are arranged axially between the other end of the housing A and the pinhole electrode. The pinhole electrode is separated from one end face of the housing A, from the pinhole electrode to the nearest ring electrode A, and from two adjacent ring electrodes A by annular insulating pads A. An insulating pad A is provided between the ring electrode A farthest from the pinhole electrode and the other end of the housing A, or the insulating pad A farthest from the pinhole electrode extends from the other end of the housing A and is fixed to the other end of the housing A. Each insulating pad A is fixed inside the housing A.

[0011] The lens B includes a housing B, a ring electrode B, and an insulating pad B. There are multiple ring electrodes B arranged along the axial direction. One end face of the housing B is separated from the nearest ring electrode B and from two adjacent ring electrodes B by annular insulating pads B. An insulating pad B is provided between the ring electrode B farthest from one end of the housing B and the other end of the housing B, or the ring electrode B farthest from one end of the housing B extends from the other end of the housing B and is fixed to the other end of the housing B. Each insulating pad B is fixed inside the housing B.

[0012] Wherein: the outer shell A, the small hole electrode, each annular electrode A and each insulating pad A are arranged coaxially.

[0013] The inner and outer diameters of each of the circular electrodes A are equal. The outer diameter of the small hole electrode is equal to the outer diameter of the circular electrode A. The inner diameter of one side of the small hole electrode is equal to the inner diameter of the circular electrode A. A small hole is formed on the other side of the small hole electrode.

[0014] The outer diameter of each insulating pad A is equal to the inner diameter of the outer shell A, and the inner diameter of each insulating pad A is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode A. Each insulating pad A is fixed to the outer shell A by screws.

[0015] The circular electrodes A and B are grouped in groups of three, and a voltage is applied to the small hole electrode and the middle circular electrodes A and B in each group.

[0016] The outer shell B, each annular electrode B, and each insulating pad B are coaxially arranged and collinear with the axial center lines of the outer shell A, the small hole electrode, each annular electrode A, and each insulating pad A.

[0017] The inner and outer diameters of each of the circular electrodes B are equal, and the inner diameter of each of the circular electrodes B is equal to the inner diameter of each of the circular electrodes A, and the outer diameter of each of the circular electrodes B is equal to the outer diameter of each of the circular electrodes A.

[0018] The outer diameter of each insulating pad B is equal to the inner diameter of the outer shell B, and the inner diameter of each insulating pad B is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode B. Each insulating pad B is fixed to the outer shell B by screws.

[0019] The outer shell A is a hollow columnar structure with central holes at both ends, or the outer shell A is a hollow columnar structure with a central hole at one end opposite to the outer shell B, and the other end of the outer shell A is an open structure without an end face.

[0020] The outer shell B is a hollow columnar structure with central holes at both ends, or the outer shell B is a hollow columnar structure with a central hole at one end opposite to the outer shell A, and the other end of the outer shell B is an open structure without an end face.

[0021] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows:

[0022] This invention improves upon traditional ion lenses by increasing the number of electrodes, enabling them to be used in longer cavities to achieve the convergence of diverging ions. This invention solves the problem of ion transport in the high-vacuum backend of mass spectrometry preparation and has broad application prospects in the field of mass spectrometry technology. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of a structure according to the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of another structure of the present invention;

[0025] Wherein: 1 is lens A, 11 is outer shell A, 12 is ring electrode A, 13 is pinhole electrode, 14 is insulating pad A, 2 is lens B, 21 is outer shell B, 22 is ring electrode B, and 23 is insulating pad B. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0027] This invention includes two sets of lenses, namely lens A1 and lens B2, arranged opposite to each other. Both lens A1 and lens B2 have light-transmitting holes along the axial direction. Ions at the front end enter from one side of the two sets of lenses and converge at the rear after passing through the two sets of lenses. Figure 1 , Figure 2 The X direction is downwards, and the Y direction is to the right.

[0028] Lens A1 includes a housing A11, a ring electrode A12, a pinhole electrode 13, and an insulating pad A14. The pinhole electrode 13 is located inside the housing A11 near one end of the lens B2. Multiple ring electrodes A12 are axially arranged between the other end of the housing A11 and the pinhole electrode 13. The pinhole electrode 13 is separated from one end face of the housing A11, from the nearest ring electrode A12, and from adjacent ring electrodes A12 by annular insulating pads A14. An insulating pad A14 is provided between the ring electrode A12 furthest from the pinhole electrode 13 and the other end of the housing A11 (e.g., ...). Figure 1 (as shown), or the insulating pad A14 furthest from the pinhole electrode 13 extends from the other end of the housing A11 and is fixed to the other end of the housing A11 (as shown). Figure 2 As shown), each insulating pad A14 is fixed inside the outer casing A11.

[0029] Lens B2 includes a housing B21, annular electrodes B22, and insulating pads B23. There are multiple annular electrodes B22 arranged along the axial direction. One end face of the housing B21 is separated from the nearest annular electrode B22 and from two adjacent annular electrodes B22 by annular insulating pads B23. An insulating pad B23 is provided between the annular electrode B22 farthest from one end of the housing B21 and the other end of the housing B21, or the annular electrode B22 farthest from one end of the housing B21 extends out from the other end of the housing B21 and is fixed to the other end of the housing B21. Each insulating pad B23 is fixed inside the housing B21.

[0030] In this embodiment, the outer shell A11, the small hole electrode 13, each annular electrode A12, and each insulating pad A14 are coaxially arranged. The outer shell B21, each annular electrode B22, and each insulating pad B23 are coaxially arranged and collinear with the axial center lines of the outer shell A11, the small hole electrode 13, each annular electrode A12, and each insulating pad A14. The inner and outer diameters of the annular electrodes A12 are equal. The outer diameter of the small hole electrode 13 is equal to the outer diameter of the annular electrode A12. The opening direction of the small hole electrode 13 is along the positive Y direction, that is, the inner diameter of one side of the small hole electrode 13 is equal to the inner diameter of the annular electrode A12, and the small hole is opened on the other side of the small hole electrode 13. The inner and outer diameters of the annular electrodes B22 are equal, and the inner diameter of each annular electrode B22 is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode A12. The outer diameter of each annular electrode B22 is equal to the outer diameter of each annular electrode A12. The outer diameter of each insulating pad A14 is equal to the inner diameter of the outer casing A11, and the inner diameter of each insulating pad A14 is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode A12. Each insulating pad A14 is fixed to the outer casing A11 by screws. The outer diameter of each insulating pad B23 is equal to the inner diameter of the outer casing B21, and the inner diameter of each insulating pad B23 is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode B22. Each insulating pad B23 is fixed to the outer casing B21 by screws.

[0031] In this embodiment, the outer shell A11 is a cylindrical structure with a hollow interior and central holes at both ends (e.g., ...). Figure 1 As shown), or the outer shell A11 is a hollow cylindrical structure, with a central hole on one end face opposite to the outer shell B21, and the other end of the outer shell A11 is an open structure without an end face (as shown). Figure 2 (As shown). In this embodiment, the outer shell B21 is a hollow cylindrical structure with central holes at both ends, or the outer shell B21 is a hollow cylindrical structure with a central hole at one end opposite to the outer shell A11, and the other end of the outer shell B21 is an open structure without an end face. In this embodiment, the inner and outer diameters of the outer shell A11 and the outer shell B21 are equal, and they are coaxially arranged. The diameters of the central holes at the opposite ends of the outer shells A11 and B21 are also equal.

[0032] The outer casing A11 can be made of aluminum alloy or 304 stainless steel, with a length of 60-100mm and an inner diameter of 40-60mm. In this embodiment, the outer casing A11 is made of aluminum alloy, with a length of 76mm and an inner diameter of 60mm.

[0033] The outer casing B21 can be made of aluminum alloy or 304 stainless steel, with a length of 60-100mm and an inner diameter of 40-60mm. In this embodiment, the outer casing B21 is made of aluminum alloy, with a length of 76mm and an inner diameter of 60mm.

[0034] The inner diameter of the annular electrode A12 can be 15–30 mm, the outer diameter can be 23–38 mm, the axial length can be 25–35 mm, and the material can be 304 stainless steel. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the annular electrode A12 is 20 mm, the outer diameter is 28 mm, and the axial length is 30 mm.

[0035] The inner diameter of the annular electrode B22 can be 15–30 mm, the outer diameter can be 23–38 mm, the axial length can be 25–35 mm, and the material can be 304 stainless steel. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the annular electrode B22 is 20 mm, the outer diameter is 28 mm, and the axial length is 30 mm.

[0036] The outer diameter of the small-hole electrode 13 can be 23–38 mm, the inner diameter of one side of the small-hole electrode 13 can be 15–30 mm, the diameter of the small hole on the other side can be 3–5 mm, and the axial length can be 25–35 mm. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the small-hole electrode 13 is 28 mm, the axial length is 30 mm, the inner diameter of one side of the small-hole electrode 13 is 20 mm, and the diameter of the small hole on the other side is 4 mm.

[0037] The insulating pad A14 can be made of PEEK (polyetheretherketone), acrylic, or alumina ceramic. The outer diameter of the insulating pad A14 is consistent with the inner diameter of the outer shell A11, and can be 40-60 mm. The inner diameter of the insulating pad A14 is consistent with the inner diameter of the annular electrode A12, and can be 15-30 mm. In this embodiment, the insulating pad A14 is made of PEEK, with an outer diameter of 60 mm and an inner diameter of 20 mm.

[0038] The insulating pad B23 can be made of PEEK (polyetheretherketone), acrylic, or alumina ceramic. The outer diameter of the insulating pad B23 is consistent with the inner diameter of the outer shell B21, and can be 40-60 mm. The inner diameter of the insulating pad B23 is consistent with the inner diameter of the annular electrode B22, and can be 15-30 mm. In this embodiment, the insulating pad B23 is made of PEEK, with an outer diameter of 60 mm and an inner diameter of 20 mm.

[0039] Both the annular electrodes A12 and B22 are grouped in sets of three. A voltage is applied to the orifice electrode 13 and the middle annular electrodes A12 and B22 in each group, with a voltage range of 0 to -200V. In this embodiment, the voltages applied to the middle annular electrode A12, the orifice electrode 13, and the middle annular electrode B22 are -30V, -40V, and -50V, respectively.

[0040] When the insulating pad A14, which is furthest from the pinhole electrode 13, extends from the other end of the outer shell A11 and is fixed to the other end of the outer shell A11, the fixing method between the insulating pad A14 and the outer shell A11 is the existing technology, such as using a clamp for fixing.

[0041] The technical principles of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. These descriptions are merely for explaining the principles of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the invention in any way. Based on this explanation, those skilled in the art can readily conceive of other specific embodiments of the invention without inventive effort, and these equivalent variations or substitutions are all included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

[0042] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ion lens set applied to preparation of mass spectrometry, characterized by: The lens includes two sets of lenses arranged oppositely, lens A (1) and lens B (2), and the lens A (1) and the lens B (2) have a light transmission hole along the axial direction; The lens A (1) includes a shell A (11), a circular ring electrode A (12), a small hole electrode (13) and an insulating pad A (14), the small hole electrode (13) is located at one end of the shell A (11) close to the lens B (2), a plurality of circular ring electrodes A (12) are arranged between the other end of the shell A (11) and the small hole electrode (13) along the axial direction, the small hole electrode (13) and the end face of one end of the shell A (11), the small hole electrode (13) and the nearest circular ring electrode A (12) and the adjacent two circular ring electrodes A (12) are separated by annular insulating pads A (14) respectively, the farthest circular ring electrode A (12) from the small hole electrode (13) and the other end of the shell A (11) are provided with an insulating pad A (14), or the farthest insulating pad A (14) from the small hole electrode (13) is extended from the other end of the shell A (11) and fixed with the other end of the shell A (11), and each insulating pad A (14) is fixed in the shell A (11). The lens B (2) includes a shell B (21), a circular ring electrode B (22) and an insulating pad B (23), the circular ring electrode B (22) is a plurality of and arranged along the axial direction, the end face of one end of the shell B (21) and the nearest circular ring electrode B (22) and the adjacent two circular ring electrodes B (22) are separated by annular insulating pads B (23) respectively, the farthest circular ring electrode B (22) from one end of the shell B (21) and the other end of the shell B (21) are provided with an insulating pad B (23), or the farthest circular ring electrode B (22) from one end of the shell B (21) is extended from the other end of the shell B (21) and fixed with the other end of the shell B (21), and each insulating pad B (23) is fixed in the shell B (21).

2. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell A (11), the small hole electrode (13), each circular ring electrode A (12) and each insulating pad A (14) are coaxially arranged.

3. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner diameter and the outer diameter of each circular ring electrode A (12) are equal, the outer diameter of the small hole electrode (13) is equal to the outer diameter of the circular ring electrode A (12), the inner diameter of one side of the small hole electrode (13) is equal to the inner diameter of the circular ring electrode A (12), and a small hole is arranged on the other side of the small hole electrode (13).

4. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer diameter of each insulating pad A (14) is equal to the inner diameter of the shell A (11), the inner diameter of each insulating pad A (14) is equal to the inner diameter of each circular ring electrode A (12), and each insulating pad A (14) is fixed with the shell A (11) by a screw.

5. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circular ring electrode A (12) and the circular ring electrode B (22) are three in a group, and the small hole electrode (13) and the circular ring electrode A (12) and the circular ring electrode B (22) in the middle of each group are applied with voltage.

6. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell B (21), each annular electrode B (22) and each insulating pad B (23) are coaxially arranged and have the same axial center line with the shell A (11), the small hole electrode (13), each annular electrode A (12) and each insulating pad A (14).

7. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, wherein: The inner diameter and the outer diameter of each annular electrode B (22) are equal, and the inner diameter of each annular electrode B (22) is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode A (12), and the outer diameter of each annular electrode B (22) is equal to the outer diameter of each annular electrode A (12).

8. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer diameter of each insulating pad B (23) is equal to the inner diameter of the shell B (21), the inner diameter of each insulating pad B (23) is equal to the inner diameter of each annular electrode B (22), and each insulating pad B (23) is fixed to the shell B (21) by a screw.

9. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, wherein: The shell A (11) is a hollow column structure with a center hole on each end face, or the shell A (11) is a hollow column structure, and a center hole is arranged on the end face opposite to the shell B (21), and the other end of the shell A (11) is an open structure without an end face.

10. The ion lens set for use in the preparation of mass spectra according to claim 1, wherein: The shell B (21) is a hollow column structure with a center hole on each end face, or the shell B (21) is a hollow column structure, and a center hole is arranged on the end face opposite to the shell A (11), and the other end of the shell B (21) is an open structure without an end face.

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