Ion source alignment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161750-B2
Application number	US-201615267677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

An ion analysis instrument is disclosed comprising an indicator device for providing an indication of a relative positioning of an ion source, a sample, and/or a sampling orifice or capillary of an ion analysis instrument such as a mass or ion mobility spectrometer in order to facilitate re-alignment of one or more of these components following a change. The indicator device comprises a source of electromagnetic radiation such as a pair of lasers or image projection devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ion analysis instrument comprising:
an ion source for generating ions from a sample;
a sampling orifice or capillary for receiving ions generated by said ion source through which ions pass, in use, towards an analyser; and
an indicator device comprising two or more sources of electromagnetic radiation that each provide one or more distinctive marks that give an indication of a positioning of the ion source and/or the sampling orifice or capillary relative to the sample, wherein the indicator device is configured such that a desired positioning is indicated by a point of intersection between the distinctive marks provided by the two or more sources of electromagnetic radiation.

2. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said indicator device comprises one or more pairs or groups of lasers and/or one or more image projection devices.

3. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said indication comprises an indication of a height of said sample relative to said sampling orifice or capillary and/or relative to said ion source.

4. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said indicator device comprises a device for indicating a positioning or alignment of said ion source relative to said sample and/or relative to said sampling orifice or capillary.

5. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said indicator device comprises a device for indicating a positioning or alignment of the sampling orifice or capillary relative to the sample.

6. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said ion source, said sample and said sampling orifice or capillary is replaceable and/or adjustable between a range of positions in use, and wherein said indicator device is arranged to provide an indication of a desired or pre-determined relative positioning of said ion source and/or said sample and/or said sampling orifice or capillary.

7. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a device for detecting said indication and control circuitry for automatically adjusting the position of said sample and/or said ion source based on said indication.

8. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said ion source comprises an ionising beam which is directed, in use, onto said sample in order to generate ions.

9. An instrument as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said ion source comprises an ambient or atmospheric pressure ion source.

10. A method of aligning one or more components of an ion analysis instrument comprising:
providing an ion analysis instrument as claimed in claim 1 ; and
adjusting the position of one or more of the ion source, the sample and the sampling orifice or capillary until the indicator device indicates a desired relative positioning.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 , comprising:
determining a desired relative positioning of said sample, said ion source and/or said sampling orifice or capillary; and
generating an indication reflective of said desired positioning.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the step of adjusting the position of said sample and/or said device for generating ions and/or said sampling orifice or capillary comprises:
(i) adjusting a height of said sample relative to said ion source and/or said sampling orifice or capillary; and/or
(ii) adjusting an orientation or alignment of said device for generating ions and/or said sampling orifice or capillary relative to a surface of said sample.

13. A mass spectrometer comprising:
an ion source for generating ions from a sample;
a sampling orifice or capillary for receiving ions generated by said ion source through which ions pass, in use, towards a mass analyser;
an indicator device for providing an indication of a height of said ion source and/or said sampling orifice or capillary relative to said sample, wherein the indication comprises one or more distinctive mark(s) provided by a source of electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the indicator device is configured such that a desired positioning is indicated by a point of focus of the one or more distinctive mark(s);
a first device for providing a first indication of a relative positioning of said ionisation device and said sample or sample plate; and
a second device for providing a second indication of a relative positioning of said sampling orifice or capillary and said sample or sample plate;
wherein said first device and said second device each comprise a pair of point or line source lasers.

14. A mass spectrometer comprising:
an ion source for generating ions from a sample;
a sampling orifice or capillary for receiving ions generated by said ion source through which ions pass, in use, towards a mass analyser;
a first device for providing a first indication of a relative positioning of the ion source and the sample or sample plate; and
a second device for providing a second indication of a relative positioning of the sampling orifice or capillary and the sample or sample plate,
wherein the first device and second device each comprise a pair of point or line source lasers.

Assignees

• Micromass Ltd

Inventors

• Towers Mark
• Murray Paul

Classifications

• H01J49/0404

  Capillaries used for transferring samples or ions (electrospray nozzles H01J49/167) · CPC title

• H01J49/0031

  Step by step routines describing the use of the apparatus (H01J49/0081 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01C15/004 Primary

  Reference lines, planes or sectors · CPC title

• H01J49/165

  Electrospray ionisation · CPC title

• H01J49/0409 Primary

  Sample holders or containers (containers for retaining a material to be analyzed, B01L3/50, for DNA, C12Q1/6834, for biological materials, G01N33/543) · CPC title