First and second order focusing using field free regions in time-of-flight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9281175-B2
Application number	US-201214367234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2012
Priority date	Dec 23, 2011
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

In some embodiments, a time of flight mass spectrometer can comprise an input orifice for receiving ions, a first ion accelerator stage for accelerating the ions along a first path, at least one ion reflector for receiving said accelerated ions and redirecting said ions along a second path different than the first path, a detector for detecting at least a portion of the ions redirected by said at least one ion reflector, and at least first and second field free drift regions disposed between said first acceleration stage and said detector, wherein said second field free region is disposed in proximity of the detector. In some embodiments, the lengths of the field free drift regions can be selected so as to provide 1st and 2nd order corrections of the time of flight of the ions with respect to variation in their initial positions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A time of flight mass spectrometer, comprising:
an input orifice for receiving ions,
a first ion acceleration stage for accelerating the ions along a first path, said first acceleration stage comprising first and second electrodes separated by a selected distance, wherein application of a voltage differential between said first and second electrodes generates an electric field for accelerating the ions,
a first ion reflector for receiving said accelerated ions and redirecting said ions along a second path different than the first path,
a second ion reflector configured to redirect the ions propagating along the second path onto a third path,
a detector for detecting at least a portion of the ions redirected by said second ion reflector,
at least first and second field free drift regions disposed between said first acceleration stage and said detector, wherein said second field free region is disposed in proximity of the detector, and
a second acceleration stage disposed between said first and second field free drift regions, a third electrode disposed at a distance relative to said second electrode, said second and third electrodes being held at a common voltage to generate said first field free drift region there between, a first grid disposed between said third electrode and said first ion reflector, said third electrode and said grid being held at a voltage differential to provide said second acceleration stage for ions traveling along said first path and, wherein said first grid and said first ion reflector are held at a voltage differential configured to decelerate the ions as they propagate from said first grid to said first ion reflector.

2. The mass spectrometer of claim 1 , wherein said first and second field free drift regions are configured to correct for a spread in initial positions of ions entering the spectrometer relative to a reference position.

3. The mass spectrometer of claim 2 , wherein the detector is positioned to receive the ions propagating along the third path.

4. The mass spectrometer of claim 3 , wherein said second field free drift region has a length greater than that of the first field free region.

5. The mass spectrometer of claim 1 , wherein said first grid is configured such that the ions intersect said first grid as they propagate along said second path from the first ion reflector to said second ion reflector.

6. The mass spectrometer of claim 5 , wherein said voltage differential between said grid and the first reflector causes the ions reflected by the first ion reflector to accelerate as they propagate from the first reflector to the grid along said second path.

7. The mass spectrometer of claim 6 , wherein said first grid and said second ion reflector are held at a voltage differential configured to cause the ions to decelerate as they propagate along said second path from the grid to said second reflector.

8. The mass spectrometer of claim 7 , wherein said second ion reflector is configured to redirect the ions along said third path toward said grid, and wherein said second field free drift region extends from the grid to said detector.

9. The mass spectrometer of claim 8 , wherein a length of said first field free drift region (d2) is provided by the following relation:

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Assignees

• Dh Technologies Dev Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Haufler Robert E
• Loyd William Morgan

Classifications

• H01J49/406 Primary

  with multiple reflections · CPC title

• H01J49/02

  Details · CPC title

• H01J49/0027

  Methods for using particle spectrometers · CPC title

• H01J49/405 Primary

  characterised by the reflectron, e.g. curved field, electrode shapes · CPC title