Methods and systems for ion mobility and mass analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11264227-B2
Application number	US-201916962744-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2019
Priority date	Jan 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

An ion manipulation device and systems and methods for controlling the ion manipulation device. The ion manipulation device includes a pair of counter-facing surfaces and a plurality of electrodes arranged in one or more linear array on each of the counter-facing surfaces. At least one RF power source is coupled to the electrodes and configured to apply an RF potential to the electrodes to create an electric field that inhibits charged particles from approaching the counter-facing surfaces. At least one DC power source is coupled to the electrodes and configured to apply a DC potential to affect the movement of ions between the counter-facing surfaces in a direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces. The DC potential and the RF potential are applied to the electrodes simultaneously.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ion manipulation device comprising:
a pair of counter-facing surfaces;
a plurality of electrodes arranged in one or more linear array on each of the counter-facing surfaces,
wherein the plurality of electrodes arranged in the one or more linear array on each of the counter-facing surfaces includes electrodes arranged in four linear arrays, wherein two linear arrays are arranged on each of the counter-facing surface, and wherein the four linear arrays are arranged parallel to each other in the direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces, and
wherein the plurality of electrodes in the four linear arrays are arranged to position groups of four electrodes in each of a plurality of cross-sectional planes, wherein each group of four electrodes include one electrode from each linear array of the four linear arrays;

at least one RF power source coupled to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes and configured to apply RF potentials to the electrodes to create an electric field that inhibits charged particles from approaching the counter-facing surfaces;
at least one DC power source coupled to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes and configured to apply DC potentials to the electrodes to affect movement of ions between the counter-facing surfaces in a direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces,
wherein the DC potentials and the RF potentials are applied to the electrodes simultaneously; and

control circuitry configured to control RF potentials and DC potentials applied to each group of four electrodes to cause the ion manipulation device to selectively operate in a plurality of different operating modes, wherein the plurality of different operating modes includes an ion transfer mode where the applied RF potential and DC potential cause all ions to move between the counter-facing surfaces in the direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the ion manipulation device in the ion transfer mode by
applying the RF potential to the electrodes with a peak-to-ground amplitude between −1 kV and 1 kV and with an RF frequency of 1.0525 MHz,
applying the DC potential to the electrodes by applying a DC bias to each group of four electrodes between −1 kV and 1 kV, and
applying a DC gradient of between 0 V/cm to 100 V/cm from a front group of four electrodes and a back group of four electrodes in the four linear arrays.

2. The ion manipulation device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one RF power source is configured to apply an RF potential across electrodes that are paired crosswise in each group of four electrodes,
wherein each group of four electrodes includes a top-left electrode, a top-right electrode, a bottom-left electrode, and a bottom-right electrode in a cross-sectional plane, and
wherein the top-left electrode is paired with the bottom-right electrode and the top-right electrode is paired with the bottom-left electrode.

3. The ion manipulation device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one RF power source is configured to apply the RF potential to the electrodes by applying a first RF potential to a first pair of electrodes in a group of electrodes and applying a second RF potential to a second pair of electrodes in the group of electrodes, wherein the second RF potential has the same amplitude as the first RF potential, the same frequency as the first RF potential, and a phase that is opposite in phase to the first RF potential.

4. The ion manipulation device of claim 3 , wherein the at least one DC power source is configured to apply a DC potential to the electrodes by applying a DC bias to both pairs of electrodes in each group of four electrodes.

5. The ion manipulation device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one DC power source is configured to apply a DC potential across the electrodes that are paired crosswise in each group of four electrodes.

6. The ion manipulation device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one DC power source is configured to apply the DC potentials across the electrodes by applying a DC gradient to the plurality of electrodes by applying a successively lower DC potential to each group of four electrodes along a length of the counter-facing surfaces.

7. The ion manipulation device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different operating modes further includes
a mass spectrometer mode where the applied RF potential and DC potential cause only ions of a particular mass to pass through the ion manipulation device in the direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces,
an ion mobility spectrometer mode where the applied RF potential and DC potential cause ions of a specified mobility to pass through the ion manipulation device in the direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces separated in space or time from ions of other mobilities, and
an ion activation mode where the applied RF potential and DC potential energetically activate ions to unfold or break apart into fragments.

8. An The ion manipulation device comprising:
a pair of counter-facing surfaces;
a plurality of electrodes arranged in one or more linear array on each of the counter-facing surfaces,
wherein the plurality of electrodes arranged in the one or more linear array on each of the counter-facing surfaces includes electrodes arranged in four linear arrays, wherein two linear arrays are arranged on each of the counter-facing surface, and wherein the four linear arrays are arranged parallel to each other in the direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces, and
wherein the plurality of electrodes in the four linear arrays are arranged to position groups of four electrodes in each of a plurality of cross-sectional planes, wherein each group of four electrodes include one electrode from each linear array of the four linear arrays;

at least one RF power source coupled to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes and configured to apply RF potentials to the electrodes to create an electric field that inhibits charged particles from approaching the counter-facing surfaces;
at least one DC power source coupled to the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes and configured to apply DC potentials to the electrodes to affect movement of ions between the counter-facing surfaces in a direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces,
wherein the DC potentials and the RF potentials are applied to the electrodes simultaneously; and

control circuitry configured to control RF potentials and DC potentials applied to each group of four electrodes to cause the ion manipulation device to selectively operate in a plurality of different operating modes, wherein the plurality of different operating modes includes a mass spectrometer mode where the applied RF potential and DC potential cause only ions of a particular mass to pass through the ion manipulation device in the direction parallel to the counter-facing surfaces, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the ion manipulation device in the mass spectrometer mode by
applying the RF potential to the electrodes with a peak-to-ground amplitude between −5 kV and 5 kV and with an RF frequency of 1.0525 MHz,
applying the DC potential to the electrodes by applying a DC bias to each group of four electrodes between −2 kV and 2 kV, and
applying a DC gradient of between 0 V/cm to 100 V/cm from a front group of four electrodes and a back group of four electrodes in the four linear arrays.

9. An The ion manipulation device comprising:
a pair of counter-facing surfaces;
a plurality of electrodes arranged in one or more linear array on each of the counter-facing surfaces,
wherein the plurality of electrodes arranged in the one or more linear array on each of the counter

Assignees

• Univ Vanderbilt

Inventors

• Leaptrot Katrina L
• May Jody C
• Mclean John A

Classifications

• G01N27/622

  Ion mobility spectrometry · CPC title

• H01J49/421 Primary

  Mass filters, i.e. deviating unwanted ions without trapping · CPC title

• H01J49/36

  Radio frequency spectrometers, e.g. Bennett-type spectrometers, Redhead-type spectrometers · CPC title

• H01J49/068

  Mounting, supporting, spacing, or insulating electrodes · CPC title

• H01J49/10 Primary

  Ion sources; Ion guns · CPC title