Mass spectrometer

• US 8,680,464 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Yuichiro, Hasegawa, Hideki, Sugiyama, Masuyuki, Morokuma, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Souw, Bernard E
• Application Number:
  US13/085,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20110253891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 250/281, 250/282, 250287-293
• US Class Current: 250/289
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0013 Miniaturised spectrometers, e.g. having smaller than usual scale, integrated conventional components
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0422 for gaseous samples interfaces to gas chromatographs G01N30/7206
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0495 Vacuum locks; Valves valves per se F16K
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/24 Vacuum systems, e.g. maintaining desired pressures

Abstract

A mass spectrometer having a resolution improved by introducing ions into a mass spectrometry part with a high efficiency is provided with a small-sized, simple configuration. The mass spectrometer includes an opening/closing mechanism provided between a sample introducing piping part for introducing a sample into the mass spectrometry part and the mass spectrometry part to conduct gas introduction intermittently and control sample passage. The mass spectrometer further includes a pump mechanism to evacuate a high pressure side of the sample introducing piping part, that is, an opposite side of the opening/closing mechanism to the mass spectrometry part to have a pressure in a range of 100 to 10,000 Pa.

Claims

1. A mass spectrometer comprising:

a mass spectrometry part for conducting mass spectrometry on a sample gas;

a sample gas introducing piping part for introducing a sample gas into said mass spectrometry part;

an opening/closing mechanism disposed between said sample gas introducing piping part and said mass spectrometry part to open/close thereby to control passage of said sample gas;

an opening/closing control part for controlling said opening/closing mechanism;

a first pump for evacuating for a side region of said opening/closing mechanism opposite to said mass spectrometry part;

an evacuation pipe for connecting said first pump and said sample gas introducing piping part together; and

an ion source disposed on a side region of said opening/closing mechanism which is the same as said mass spectrometry part and which converts said sample gas into ions.

2. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein said opening/closing control part controls the opening/closing mechanism to open said sample gas introducing piping part for a sample gas accumulation period of said mass spectrometry part and close said sample gas introducing piping part for other periods.

3. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein said first evacuation pump evacuates the side region of said opening/closing mechanism for said sample gas introducing piping part opposite to said mass spectrometry part to have a pressure of 1,000 Pa or greater.

4. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein said sample gas introducing piping part comprises any one of a capillary, an orifice, and a vacuum chamber, or a plurality of any of them.

5. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein said evacuation pipe is provided between a sample gas introduction inlet of said sample gas introducing piping part and said opening/closing mechanism.

6. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein:

said opening/closing mechanism comprises a movable member and a movable space for said movable member; and

said movable space comprises an opening part to said sample gas introducing piping part and an opening part to said mass spectrometry part.

7. The mass spectrometer according to claim 6, wherein:

said movable space comprises an opening part to said evacuation pipe;

said opening/closing control part controls said movable member, when passing said sample gas, to close a passage between said opening part to said sample gas introducing piping part and said opening part to said evacuation pipe and open a passage between said opening part to said sample gas introducing piping part and said opening part to said mass spectrometry part, and

said opening/closing control part controls said movable member, when not passing said sample gas, to close a passage between said opening part to said sample gas introducing piping part and said opening part to said mass spectrometry part and open a passage between said opening part to said sample gas introducing piping part and said opening part to said evacuation pipe.

8. The mass spectrometer according to claim 6, wherein a direction from said movable space to said opening part to said sample gas introducing piping part and a direction from said movable space to said opening part to said mass spectrometry part form an angle which is greater than 90°

and which is 180°

or less.

9. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein said opening/closing mechanism is an opening/closing gate provided between said sample gas introducing piping part and said mass spectrometry part.

10. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein

said mass spectrometry part comprises a second evacuation pump for evacuation, and

said second evacuation pump is coupled to said evacuation pipe and a backpressure side of said second evacuation pump is evacuated by said first evacuation pump.

11. The mass spectrometer according to claim 10, wherein said first evacuation pump evacuates the side region of said opening/closing mechanism for said sample gas introducing piping part opposite to said mass spectrometry part to have a pressure of 100 Pa or greater and 2,500 Pa or less.

12. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-trap part for trapping said sample gas introduced into said mass spectrometry part.