Y-Directional Ion Trap Control for High-Pressure Mass Spectrometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mass spectrometry systems are limited by their large size, weight, and power consumption, which restricts their use to laboratory settings, and increasing pressure in ion traps above a few millitorr affects resolution and signal intensity due to increased collisions with buffer gas, inhibiting electric field control of ion trajectories.
Innovation Solution
A miniaturized ion trap with a y-dimension elongated trapping cavity, utilizing a ring electrode and supplemental electrodes to generate an electric field along the y-axis, allowing controlled ion manipulation and ejection from a single point, improving resolution and reducing inconsistent conditions at detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If pressure in ion trap is increased above a few millitorr, then high-pressure operation is achieved for miniaturization, but resolution and signal intensity deteriorate due to increased collisions with buffer gas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic control of ion trajectories by introducing time-varying electric fields through supplemental electrodes. These fields dynamically adjust ion paths in real-time, compensating for collision effects at high pressure and maintaining resolution despite increased buffer gas density.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters by applying RF voltages to supplemental electrodes to generate time-varying electric fields. This parameter modification allows the system to maintain effective ion control at high pressures where static fields would fail, thereby preserving resolution while enabling high-pressure operation.
2Use of energy by moving object
If pressure in ion trap is increased above a few millitorr, then high-pressure operation is achieved for miniaturization, but signal intensity deteriorates due to increased collisions with buffer gas
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic electric fields generated by supplemental electrodes continuously adjust ion trajectories, reducing the effective path length and number of collisions ions experience with buffer gas. This dynamic control maintains signal intensity by preventing ion loss through excessive collisions, even at high operating pressures.
3Ease of operation
If ion ejection occurs from multiple points along the trap, then ion transport is achieved, but inconsistent conditions at detection occur reducing resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ion ejection function to a single designated location by using supplemental electrodes to guide all ions to converge at one specific ejection point. This concentrates the ejection process from multiple distributed points to a single controlled location, ensuring consistent detection conditions while maintaining effective ion transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates localized control zones using supplemental electrodes positioned at specific locations along the trap. These localized electric field regions guide ions through differentiated path segments, ultimately funnelning them to a single ejection point with consistent conditions, thereby improving detection uniformity.
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
Enhances resolution and signal intensity in high-pressure mass spectrometry by controlling ion trajectories and reducing collisions, enabling miniaturized systems suitable for portable applications.
Implementation Method 1
generating an electric field directed along the first direction within or proximate to the ion trap aperture to transport at least some of the ions
Implementation Method 2
Stretched Length Ion Traps (SLITs), like all linear ion traps (LITs), can spatially confine ions into a linear ion cloud
Implementation Method 3
The increasing number of collisions with the buffer gas at higher pressures inhibits the ability of the electric field to control the ion trajectories
Data Source
AI summary
A miniature electrode apparatus is disclosed for trapping charged particles, the apparatus includes, along a longitudinal direction, a first end cap electrode, a central electrode having an aperture, and a second end cap electrode. The aperture is elongated in the lateral plane and extends through the central electrode along the longitudinal direction and the central electrode surrounds the aperture in a lateral plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to define a transverse cavity for trapping charged particles. Electric fields can be applied in a y-direction of the lateral plane across one or more planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to translocate and/or manipulate ion trajectories.