Ion Gate Segmentation for Slow Ion Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ion mobility spectrometers face discrimination of slow ion species due to the operation of existing ion gates, which prevents them from passing through in time, reducing analytical performance.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an additional switching state for the ion gate, allowing ions to pass through by closing only one side initially and then the other, prevents discrimination by ensuring slow ions can be analyzed without field distortion, using a three-electrode structure with varying potentials to control ion flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ion gate operates with a conventional switching method, then the gate can be controlled to pass ions, but slow ion species are discriminated against and cannot pass through in time
Solution Approach 1:
The ion gate is segmented into three separate electrodes (first, second, and third electrodes) that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows the gate to close different sides at different times during the switching cycle, creating a two-stage closing process that accommodates both fast and slow ions without discrimination.
Solution Approach 2:
The ion gate closes the first side (between first and second electrodes) before closing the second side (between second and third electrodes). This preliminary action allows slow ions additional time to pass through the first chamber before the second closure blocks them, eliminating discrimination while maintaining gate control.
2Reliability
If the ion gate uses a three-electrode structure, then field distortion is minimized, but the gate operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The three-electrode structure divides the ion gate into two separate controllable regions (first chamber between first and second electrodes, second chamber between second and third electrodes). This segmentation maintains field integrity in each region while enabling independent control, and the simplicity of having only three electrodes keeps the overall structure manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
Each electrode can be assigned a specific potential independently, allowing local optimization of the electric field in different regions. The first electrode, second electrode, and third electrode can have different potentials at different times, creating locally optimized field conditions that maintain overall field integrity while enabling selective ion transmission.
3Ease of operation
If the ion gate closes both sides simultaneously, then ion transmission is controlled effectively, but slow ions are excluded from analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The ion gate employs dynamic, sequential control where the closing action is divided into two stages in time. The first closure (first side) occurs at a different time than the second closure (second side), creating a time-dependent control pattern that is both easy to implement and effective at preventing ion discrimination while maintaining control efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate performs a preliminary closure of the first side before closing the second side. This preliminary action provides a time window for slow ions to pass through the first chamber before the second closure occurs, ensuring comprehensive ion species coverage while maintaining effective overall gate control through the sequential two-stage process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method minimizes discrimination of slow ions, allowing them to pass through without delay, maintaining field integrity and enabling precise analysis of slow ions in ion mobility spectrometers.
Implementation Method 1
a field generating device for moving the ions in a designated drift direction in the ion transport area by means of an electric field
Implementation Method 2
applying a first potential difference between the second and the third electrode... applying a second potential difference between the first and the second electrode
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3e
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating an ion gate having at least a first, a second, and a third electrode, which are arranged one after the other in an intended drifting direction of ions to be influenced by the ion gate, in such a way that the second electrode is arranged after the first electrode and the third electrode is arranged after the second electrode in the drifting direction, wherein the ion gate can be switched between a closed state, in which ions cannot drift through the ion gate in the intended drifting direction, and an open state, in which ions can drift through the ion gate in the intended drifting direction, by applying potentials that alternate over time to one or more of the electrodes mentioned above, wherein, in a switching cycle of the ion gate, which comprises the open state and the closed state of the ion gate, two different closed states of the ion gate are produced in that, in a first closed state, the ion gate is closed by applying a first potential difference between the second and the third electrodes and, in a second closed state, the ion gate is closed by applying a second potential difference between the first and the second electrodes. The invention further relates to a device having an ion transport region and a computer program for performing the method.