Multi-bore capillary for mass spectrometer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9236232-B2
Application number	US-62737209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2009
Priority date	Nov 30, 2009
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A mass spectrometer system an ion source configured to produce ions and a non-metallic capillary configured to receive at least a portion of the ions from the ion source. The capillary includes an elongated body and multiple bores traversing the elongated body in a longitudinal direction. The bores transport the received ions through the capillary toward a mass analyzer of the mass spectrometer system for detection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mass spectrometer system, comprising:
an ion source configured to produce ions; and
a capillary formed of a non-metallic material and configured to receive at least a portion of the ions from the ion source, the capillary comprising an elongated body and a plurality of bores formed through the non-metallic material, traversing the elongated body in a longitudinal direction from the ion source to a vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer system, the plurality of bores transporting the received ions through the capillary toward a mass analyzer for detection.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bores have substantially tubular shapes with corresponding longitudinal axes that are substantially parallel with one another.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the body of the capillary has a length in the longitudinal direction of less than about 20 cm and each of the plurality of bores has an inner diameter of no greater than about 0.9 mm.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of bores include a center bore and at least two outer bores symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the center bore.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the center bore has a larger inner diameter than the at least two outer bores.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ion source outputs a vapor comprising the produced ions, an input end of the capillary being exposed to the ion vapor to receive the at least a portion of the ions.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the non-metallic material of the capillary comprises insulating glass.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the non-metallic material of the capillary comprises resistive glass.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the capillary further comprises metal end portions on input and output ends of the capillary, and
wherein voltages having opposite polarities are applied to the metal end portions, respectively, to create a difference in electrical potential across the capillary in the longitudinal direction, the difference in electrical potential providing a change of potential energy of the received ions when they exit from the plurality of bores.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the polarities of the voltages applied to the metal end portions are rapidly switched.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the input end is adjacent to the ion source and the output end is opposite the input end, wherein a pressure at the input end is substantially greater than a pressure at the output end, creating a pressure differential, the pressure differential drawing the received ions through the plurality of bores.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a skimmer positioned between the output end of the capillary and the mass analyzer, the skimmer being configured to select a center core of the ions transported through the capillary to be directed to the mass analyzer.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
one or more ion funnels positioned between the output end of the capillary and the mass analyzer, the ion funnels being configured to transport at least a portion of the ions transported through the capillary to be directed to the mass analyzer.

14. A mass spectrometer system comprising:
an ion source configured to output ions from an input sample, the ions being contained in an ion vapor;
a capillary comprising an elongated glass body having first and second opposing ends and a plurality of bores formed through the elongated glass body in a longitudinal direction between the first and second ends, and first and second metal portions respectively attached to the first and second ends of the capillary for creating a difference of electrical potential across the capillary, the first end of the capillary being exposed to the ion vapor for receiving at least a portion of the ions and the second end of the capillary being contained in a vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer system, the received ions being transported through the plurality of bores of the capillary and output from the second end; and
a mass analyzer in the vacuum chamber configured to receive and detect the ions output from the second end of the capillary.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of bores have corresponding longitudinal axes that are substantially parallel with one another.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein for negative ions, positive and negative voltages are respectively applied to the first and second metal portions to create an electrical polarity comprising a positive pole at the first end and a negative pole, relative to the first end, at the second end, the received negative ions having a change in potential energy while being transported through the plurality of bores of the capillary.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein for positive ions, negative and positive voltages are respectively applied to the first and second metal portions to create an electrical polarity comprising a negative pole at the first end and a positive pole, relative to the first end, at the second end, the received positive ions having a change in potential energy while being transported through the plurality of bores of the capillary.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the glass body comprises resistive glass, and the electrical polarity across the first and second ends of the capillary are rapidly switched.

19. A capillary device positioned between an ion source and a mass analyzer in a vacuum chamber of a mass spectrometer system, the capillary device comprising:
a substantially tubular body formed of a non-metallic material, the tubular body having a first end facing the ion source, a second end contained in the vacuum chamber facing the mass analyzer, and a longitudinal axis extending a length of the tubular body;
a plurality of substantially tubular bores through the non-metallic material, traversing the length of the tubular body, each of the plurality of bores having a corresponding longitudinal bore axis that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body, ions produced by the ion source passing through the plurality of tubular bores to be received by the mass analyzer; and
first and second metal end portions respectively attached to the first and second ends of the capillary for creating an electrical polarity across the capillary,
wherein the first and second metal end portions are configured for rapid switching of the electrical polarity, enabling rapid voltage reversal across the capillary to provide alternating data collection between positive and negative ions of the ions produced by the ion source.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the rapid switching of the electrical polarity occurs at a rate of about 5 times per second to about 10 times per second.

Assignees

• Hansen Stuart C
• Li Gangqiang
• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Hansen Stuart C
• Li Gangqiang

Classifications

• H01J49/0404 Primary

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