Ion guide for mass spectrometer
First Claim
1. A mass spectrometer comprising an ion guide and a mass analyzer,the ion guide defining a guide axis and adapted to provide an ion control field comprising a component for restraining movement of ions normal to the guide axis and comprising a component for controlling movement of the ions parallel the guide axis;
- the field having a controllable potential profile along the guide axis of the guide, the profile being adapted to provide for sequential release of the ions from the guide according to the mass-to-charge ratios of the ions and along a path parallel to the guide axis,wherein the same ion energy is applied to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio of the ions, and the ions are sequentially released with the same ion energy from the ion guide to provide for arrival of ions of substantially all released mass-to-charge ratios within the extraction region at substantially the same time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ion guide 24 for a mass spectrometer 30 including means for ejecting ions of different mass-to-charge ratios from the ion guide towards a detector or other object or device. The ejecting means causes the ions to be ejected in a desired sequence. The ions travel at different rates according to their mass-to-charge ratios, so that they arrive at a desired point in space in a desired sequence, for example in a detector 56 of a mass spectrometer at substantially the same time.
45 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A mass spectrometer comprising an ion guide and a mass analyzer,
the ion guide defining a guide axis and adapted to provide an ion control field comprising a component for restraining movement of ions normal to the guide axis and comprising a component for controlling movement of the ions parallel the guide axis; -
the field having a controllable potential profile along the guide axis of the guide, the profile being adapted to provide for sequential release of the ions from the guide according to the mass-to-charge ratios of the ions and along a path parallel to the guide axis, wherein the same ion energy is applied to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio of the ions, and the ions are sequentially released with the same ion energy from the ion guide to provide for arrival of ions of substantially all released mass-to-charge ratios within the extraction region at substantially the same time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, 21)
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8. A method of guiding ions differing in mass-to-charge ratios, comprising:
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providing in an ion guide defining a guide axis an ion control field comprising a component for restraining movement of ions normal to the guide axis; providing in the ion control field an accumulation potential profile for accumulating the ions within a constrained space within the ion guide; providing in the ion control field an ejection potential profile along the guide axis of the ion guide, the profile being adapted to apply the same ion energy to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio of the ions, and for sequential release of the ions with the same ion energy from the ion guide to provide for arrival of the ions of substantially all released mass-to-charge ratios within the extraction region at substantially the same time. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 18, 22)
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11. An ion guide for a mass spectrometer, the ion guide defining a guide axis and adapted to generate at least one ion control field for restraining movement of ions normal to the guide axis and for controlling movement of the ions parallel the guide axis;
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the field having a controllable potential profile along the axis of the guide, the profile being adapted to cause the ions to be distributed along the guide axis of the guide according to a desired sequence of mass-to-charge ratios of the ions, and to provide for selective release of the ions having varying mass-to-charge ratios from the guide according to the desired sequence of mass-to-charge ratios along a path parallel to the guide axis, wherein the same ion energy is applied to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio of the ions, and the ions are sequentially released with the same ion energy from the ion guide to provide for arrival of ions of substantially all released mass-to-charge ratios within the extraction region at substantially the same time. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19)
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20. A method of guiding ions in a mass spectrometer with an ion control field, comprising:
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adapting the ion control field with an accumulation potential profile for accumulating ions in the ion guide; adapting the ion control field with a pre-ejection potential profile to prevent additional ions from accumulating in the ion guide; adapting the ion control field with a pseudopotential along an axis of the ion guide to apply the same ion energy to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio, and to sequentially release the ions with the same ion energy from the ion guide; and receiving the released ions at the extraction region at substantially the same time for further processing.
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23. A method of operating a mass spectrometer to provide release of ions from an ion guide of the spectrometer, the ion guide having first and second multipole ion guide sections disposed along a guide axis of the ion guide, the second multipole ion guide section being after the first multipole ion guide section in an ejection direction along the guide axis, the ion guide further having an aperture disposed in along the guide axis after the second multipole ion guide section in the ejection direction, the method comprising:
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applying an accumulation potential profile to the ion guide, the accumulation potential profile having; an accumulation voltage applied to the second multipole ion guide section, the accumulation voltage being set to prevent the ions from exiting the ion guide along the ejection direction; a confinement voltage applied to the first and second multipole ion guide sections, the confinement voltage being set to restrain movement of the ions in directions normal to the guide axis; and a potential gradient provided across at least one of the second multipole ion guide section and the aperture, applying a pre-ejection potential profile to the ion guide, the pre-ejection potential profile having a pre-ejection voltage applied to the first multipole ion guide section, the pre-ejection voltage being set to cause the ions to be distributed along the axis of the ion guide according to a desired sequence of mass-to-charge ratios of the ions; applying an ejection potential profile to the ion guide, the ejection potential profile having a pseudopotential provided by an ejection voltage applied to the at least one of the second multipole ion guide section and the aperture, the ejection voltage being variable to provide for release of one or more of the ions having varying mass-to-charge ratios in a desired sequence from the ion guide along the ejection direction according to the desired sequence of such mass-to-charge ratios, wherein the same ion energy is applied to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio of the ions, and the ions are sequentially released with the same ion energy from the guide to provide for arrival of ions of substantially all released mass-to-charge ratios within the extraction region at substantially the same time. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A mass spectrometer having an ion guide therein for the release of ions from the ion guide, comprising:
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first and second multipole ion guide sections of the ion guide disposed along a guide axis of the ion guide, the second multipole ion guide section being after the first multipole ion guide section in an ejection direction along the guide axis; an aperture of the ion guide disposed along the guide axis after the second multipole ion guide section in the ejection direction; at least one voltage source connected to the ion guide, the at least one voltage source providing at least one of; an accumulation voltage to the second multipole ion guide section and set to prevent the ions from exiting the ion guide along the ejection direction, a pre-ejection voltage to the first multipole ion guide section and set to cause the ions to be distributed along the axis of the ion guide according to a desired sequence of mass-to-charge ratios of the ions; a confinement voltage to the first and second multipole ion guide sections and set to restrain movement of the ions in directions normal to the guide axis; a potential gradient provided across the second multipole ion guide section and the aperture; and an ejection voltage to the at least one of the second multipole ion guide section and the aperture to generate a pseudopotential, the ejection voltage being variable to provide for release of one or more of the ions having varying mass-to-charge ratios in a desired sequence from the ion guide along the ejection direction according to the desired sequence of such mass-to-charge ratios, wherein the same ion energy is applied to the ions over their travel through the ion guide to an extraction region disposed substantially along the guide axis irrespective of mass-to-charge ratio of the ions, and the ions are sequentially released with the same ion energy from the guide to provide for arrival of ions of substantially all released mass-to-charge ratios within the extraction region at substantially the same time. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification