Ion detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021319994-A1
Application number	US-202117225514-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 8, 2021
Priority date	Apr 9, 2020
Publication date	Oct 14, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ion detector comprises a surface configured to receive one or more ions and a detector configured to detect one or more ions by detecting electromagnetic radiation scattered by one or more ions at the surface.

First claim

1 . An ion detector comprising:
a surface configured to receive one or more ions; and a detector configured to detect one or more ions by detecting electromagnetic radiation scattered by one or more ions at the surface.

2 . The ion detector of claim 1 , wherein the surface is a surface of a transparent substrate.

3 . The ion detector of claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic radiation source configured to illuminate the surface with electromagnetic radiation.

4 . The ion detector of claim 1 , wherein the detector is configured to detect one or more ions by detecting an interference pattern caused by one or more ions at the surface.

5 . The ion detector of claim 1 , wherein the detector is configured to detect one or more ions by detecting an interference pattern caused by interference of electromagnetic radiation reflected by the substrate and electromagnetic radiation scattered by one or more ions at the surface.

6 . The ion detector of claim 1 , wherein the ion detector is configured to detect one or more gas phase ions.

7 . An analyser comprising the ion detector of claim 1 .

8 . The analyser of claim 7 , wherein the analyser is configured to determine the mass to charge ratio, charge, mass, time of flight, ion mobility and/or collision cross section of one or more ions.

9 . The analyser of claim 7 , further comprising a field free or drift region, wherein the surface is arranged at an exit region of the field free or drift region.

10 . The analyser of claim 7 , further comprising an ion mobility separator, wherein the surface is arranged at an exit region of the ion mobility separator.

11 . An analytical instrument comprising the ion detector of claim 1 .

12 . The analytical instrument of claim 11 , further comprising:
a non-destructive mass analyser; and one or more devices configured to cause one or more ions analysed by the non-destructive mass analyser to be deposited upon the surface.

13 . An analytical instrument comprising:
a non-destructive mass analyser; a surface; and one or more devices configured to cause one or more ions analysed by the non-destructive mass analyser to be deposited upon the surface.

14 . The analytical instrument of claim 13 , wherein the non-destructive mass analyser comprises a Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry (“CDMS”) mass analyser, an ion trap mass analyser, an Ion Cyclotron Resonance (“ICR”) mass analyser, a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance (“FTICR”) mass analyser, an electrostatic mass analyser arranged to generate an electrostatic field having a quadro-logarithmic potential distribution, a Fourier Transform electrostatic mass analyser, a Fourier Transform mass analyser (“FTMS”), or a Time of Flight (“ToF”) mass analyser.

15 . The analytical instrument of claim 13 , wherein the surface is configured to be removable from the analytical instrument.

16 . The analytical instrument of claim 13 , wherein the one or more devices are configured to cause ions analysed by the non-destructive mass analyser to be deposited upon the surface at different positions on or regions of the surface.

17 . The analytical instrument of claim 13 , wherein the analytical instrument is configured to cause ions analysed by the non-destructive mass analyser to be deposited upon the surface at different positions on or regions of the surface such that the position on or region of the surface at which an ion is deposited depends on the mass to charge ratio, charge or mass of the ion.

18 . A method of analysing one or more ions, the method comprising:
determining the mass to charge ratio, charge and/or mass of one or more ions using a non-destructive mass analyser; depositing the one or more ions upon a substrate; and then analysing the one or more ions.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more ions comprise one or more viral capsid ions and/or one or more ions derived from one or more viral capsid ions, one or more exosome ions and/or one or more ions derived from one or more exosome ions, one or more vexosome ions and/or one or more ions derived from one or more vexosome ions.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein analysing the one or more ions comprises analysing the one or more ions using any one or more of: (i) immunolabelling; (ii) anti-body labelling; (iii) amplification; (iv) polymerase chain reaction (PCR); (v) genetic analysis; (vi) microscopy; (vii) fluorescence microscopy; and/or (viii) mass and/or ion mobility spectrometry.

Assignees

• Waters Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Jarrell Joseph A
• Gilar Martin

Classifications

• G01N30/62

  Detectors specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• H01J49/025 Primary

  Detectors specially adapted to particle spectrometers (data acquisition H01J49/0036; detectors per se G01T, e.g. G01T1/28, G01T1/29) · CPC title

• G01N27/623

  combined with mass spectrometry · CPC title

• H01J49/0031

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

• H01J49/40

  Time-of-flight spectrometers (H01J49/36 takes precedence) · CPC title