ION MOBILITY SPECTROMETER CLEAR-DOWN

• US 20130298938A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smiths Detection Montreal Inc (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smiths Detection Montreal Inc (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bian, Qunzhou, Carroll, John J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,254,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/1
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 6/00 Cleaning by electrostatic means domestic cleaning implements functioning electrostatically A47L13/40; cleaning of grooved record carriers G11B3/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/622 Ion mobility spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/10 by analysing the shape of a waveform, e.g. extracting parameters relating to peaks
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0031 Step by step routines describing the use of the apparatus H01J49/0081 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/025 Detectors specially adapted to particle spectrometers data acquisition H01J49/0036; detectors per se G01T, e.g. G01T1/28, G01T1/29
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/04 Arrangements for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed, e.g. vacuum locks; Arrangements for external adjustment of electron- or ion-optical components
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/06 Electron- or ion-optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/061 Ion deflecting means, e.g. ion gates

Abstract

Method and systems for managing clear-down are provided. The method can include generating a clear-down trigger associated with an ion mobility spectrometer and operating the ion mobility spectrometer in fast clear-down mode in response to the clear-down trigger. Methods and systems can further provide that where the ion mobility spectrometer operates in fast-switching mode, the ion mobility spectrometer alternating a plurality of times between operation according to a positive ion mode and operation according to a negative ion mode, and further operating according to the positive ion mode for less than about 1 second before switching to the operation according to the negative ion mode, and operating according to the negative ion mode for less than about 1 second before switching to the operation according to the positive ion mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a clear-down trigger; and

fast clearing-down an ion mobility spectrometer, responsive to receipt of the clear-down trigger, to remove residual sample accumulated during previous analysis of a sample, wherein clearing-down is performed by fast-switching between positive and negative modes to purge the residual sample from the ion mobility spectrometer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sample was introduced prior to receipt of the clear-down trigger.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating fast clearing-down an ion mobility spectrometer responsive to a determination based on a relationship between a clear-down characteristic acquired during operating the ion mobility spectrometer and stored clear-down data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an option to implement fast clearing-down in response to the clear-down trigger.

2. The method of claim 0, wherein fast clearing-down comprises at least one of:

operating in positive ion mode for less than about one second before switching to operating in negative mode and operating in negative mode for less than about one second;

operating in positive ion mode for less than about one half a second before switching to operating in negative mode and operating in negative mode for less than about one half a second;

operating in positive ion mode for less than about 20 milliseconds before switching to operating in negative mode and operating in negative mode for less than about 20 milliseconds;

operating in positive ion mode for between approximately 10 to 200 milliseconds before switching to operating in negative mode and operating in negative mode for between approximately 10 to 200 milliseconds;

operating in positive ion mode for between approximately 10 milliseconds to one minute before switching to operating in negative mode and operating in negative mode for between approximately 10 milliseconds to one minute;

or

operating in positive ion mode for between approximately 200 milliseconds to one minute before switching to operating in negative mode and operating in negative mode for between approximately 200 milliseconds to one minute.

3. The method of claim 0, wherein the residual sample comprises substances associated with at least a portion of the sample trapped in an ionization region prior to receipt of the clear-down trigger.

5. The method of claim 0, wherein fast clearing-down comprises operating the ion mobility spectrometer in positive and negative modes a plurality of times.

6. The method of claim 0, wherein the clear-down trigger is associated with at least one of:

powering-down the ion mobility spectrometer;

at a periodic interval;

or

determining that the residual sample is associated with a peak included in a plasmagram obtained before receipt of the clear-down trigger.

7. The method of claim 0, wherein the clear-down trigger is associated with detection of ions associated with a predetermined substance by the ion mobility spectrometer.

8. The method of claim 0, wherein the clear-down trigger is associated with detection of ions associated with at least one of a dopant, a calibrant, water, or oxygen during previous operation of the ion mobility spectrometer.

9. The method of claim 0, wherein fast clearing-down an ion mobility spectrometer comprises not receiving a sample during fast clearing-down.

12. A ion mobility spectrometer comprising:

an ionization region including an ionization source that is configured to fast-clear down the ion mobility spectrometer by switching between positive and negative modes to purge residual sample that remains in the ionization region after receipt of a clear-down trigger.

13. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein the ion source is configured to switch in fast-clear down between positive and negative modes at least one of:

approximately one second or less, approximately one half a second or less, approximately 200 milliseconds or less, approximately 20 milliseconds or less, between approximately 10 to 200 milliseconds, between approximately 10 milliseconds to one minute, or between approximately 200 milliseconds to one minute.

14. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein the clear-down trigger is associated with detection of ions associated with a predetermined substance by the ion mobility spectrometer.

15. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein the residual sample is associated with a sample that was introduced prior to receipt of the clear-down trigger.

16. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein no sample is introduced to the ion mobility spectrometer during fast clear-down of the ion mobility spectrometer.

17. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein the clear-down trigger is based on detection of ions from a sample associated with the residual sample.

18. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein the residual sample comprises ions that remain in the ionization region after detection of ions associated with at least a portion of a sample associated with the residual sample.

19. The ion mobility spectrometer of claim 12, wherein the ion mobility spectrometer is associated with a data processing system that is configured to output an option to clear-down the ion mobility spectrometer responsive to receipt of the clear-down trigger.

20. An ion mobility spectrometer comprising:

a detector configured to detect ions from a sample introduced to the ion mobility spectrometer; and

an ionization source, included in an ionization region, configured to fast-clear down the ion mobility spectrometer to remove residual sample that is trapped in an ionization region after detection of ions from the sample.

21-26. -26. (canceled)