Multi-reflecting Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometer With Orthogonal Acceleration
First Claim
1. A multi-reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF MS), comprising:
- an ion source for generating an ion beam;
an orthogonal accelerator to convert the ion beam into ion packets;
an interface for ion transfer between said ion source and said orthogonal accelerator; and
a planar multi-reflecting analyzer providing multiple reflections of the ion packets within a jig-saw trajectory plane, wherein the ion beam past said interface is oriented substantially across said trajectory plane.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosed apparatus includes a multi-reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF MS) and an orthogonal accelerator. To improve the duty cycle of the ion injection at a low repetition rate dictated by a long flight in the MR-TOF MS, multiple measures may be taken. The incoming ion beam and the accelerator may be oriented substantially transverse to the ion path in the MR-TOF, while the initial velocity of the ion beam is compensated by tilting the accelerator and steering the beam for the same angle. To further improve the duty cycle of any multi-reflecting or multi-turn mass spectrometer, the beam may be time-compressed by modulating the axial ion velocity with an ion guide. The residence time of the ions in the accelerator may be improved by trapping the beam within an electrostatic trap. Apparatuses with a prolonged residence time in the accelerator provide improvements in both sensitivity and resolution.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A multi-reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF MS), comprising:
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an ion source for generating an ion beam;
an orthogonal accelerator to convert the ion beam into ion packets;
an interface for ion transfer between said ion source and said orthogonal accelerator; and
a planar multi-reflecting analyzer providing multiple reflections of the ion packets within a jig-saw trajectory plane, wherein the ion beam past said interface is oriented substantially across said trajectory plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A multi-reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF MS), comprising:
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an ion source for generating an ion beam;
an orthogonal accelerator to convert the ion beam into ion packets;
an interface for ion transfer between said ion source and said orthogonal accelerator; and
a multi-reflecting analyzer providing multiple reflections of the ion packets within electrostatic fields, wherein said interface comprises a gas-filled radio frequency ion guide, said ion guide having means for periodic modulation of an axial electric field. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A multi-reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF MS), comprising:
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an ion source for generating an ion beam;
an orthogonal accelerator to convert the ion beam into ion packets;
an interface for ion transfer between said ion source and said orthogonal accelerator; and
a multi-reflecting analyzer providing multiple reflections of the ion packets within electrostatic fields, wherein said orthogonal accelerator comprises an electrostatic trap. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of multi-reflecting time-of-flight mass spectrometry, comprising the steps of:
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forming an ion beam;
forming ion packets by applying a pulsed electric field in a substantially orthogonal direction to the ion beam;
introducing the ion packets into a field-free space in between ion mirrors, the ion mirrors forming a substantially two-dimensional electric field, extended along a drift axis; and
orienting the pulsed electric field substantially orthogonal to the drift direction such that the ion packets experience multiple reflections combined with slow displacement along the drift direction, thus forming a jig-saw ion path within a trajectory plane, wherein said ion beam travels substantially orthogonal to the trajectory plane. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of multi-pass time-of-flight mass spectrometry, comprising the steps of:
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forming an ion beam;
delivering the beam to a region of ion packet formation;
forming ion packets by applying a pulsed electric field in a substantially orthogonal direction to the ion beam; and
introducing the ion packets into an electrostatic field of a multi-reflecting time-of-flight analyzer, such that the ion packets experience multiple reflections, wherein said step of ion beam delivery further comprises a step of time-modulating the intensity of the ion beam by axial electric field within an ion guide at an intermediate gas pressure, the modulation is synchronized to orthogonal electric pulses. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of multi-pass time-of-flight mass spectrometry, comprising the steps of:
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forming an ion beam;
delivering the ion beam to a region of ion packet formation;
forming ion packets by applying a pulsed electric field in an electrostatic trap in a substantially orthogonal direction to the ion beam; and
introducing the ion packets into an electrostatic field of a multi-reflecting time-of-flight analyzer, such that the ion packets experience multiple reflections, wherein said step of ion beam delivery into said pulsed electric field of the electrostatic trap further comprises a step of ion trapping in an electrostatic field and wherein at least a portion of trapped ions remains in a region of pulsed acceleration. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification