Mass spectrometer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9653277-B2
Application number	US-200813122718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2008
Priority date	Oct 9, 2008
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A basic ion optical system having a guaranteed capability for the temporal focusing of ions, including sector-shaped electrodes, an injection slit and an ejection slit, is arranged on the same plane. Four or more sets of the basic ion optical systems are arrayed at predetermined intervals in a direction substantially orthogonal to the aforementioned plane. The injection slit on a topmost basic ion optical system plane and the ejection slit on a basic ion optical system plane located immediate below, as well as the injection slit on a bottommost basic ion optical system plane and the ejection slit on a basic ion optical system plane located immediate above, are respectively connected by another type of basic ion optical system having a guaranteed capability for the temporal focusing of ions. The other injection slits and ejection slits are respectively connected by another type of basic ion optical system having a guaranteed capability for the temporal focusing of ions. Thus, a loop orbit having a three-dimensionally deformed figure “8”-shape is formed, whereby the flight distance is elongated while ensuring the temporal focusing of the ions for the entire system, simultaneously with utilizing the three-dimensional space to compactify the ion optical system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A time-of-flight mass spectrometer for making ions fly in a flight space by giving a predetermined amount of energy to the ions, for temporally separating the ions according to their mass during their flight, and for detecting the separated ions with an ion detector, comprising:
a plurality of in-plane basic ion optical systems and a plurality of inter-plane basic ion optical systems, each basic ion optical system having one ion inlet, one ion outlet and a flight orbit on a same plane, wherein the flight orbit is formed by a plurality of sector-shaped electric fields in such a manner that the ions entering from the ion inlet will turn 360 degrees or more, satisfying a temporal focusing condition at the ion outlet; and
N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems separately stacked at predetermined intervals where N is an integer equal to or greater than two, wherein among all the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems, the ion outlet of one of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the ion inlet of another one of the in-plane basic ion optical systems are connected by one of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems so as to create a loop-type orbit in which the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the N sets of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems are alternately and sequentially connected.

2. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein N is an even number equal to or greater than four, and among the N sets of the separately stacked in-plane basic ion optical systems, either the ion inlet or the ion outlet of the in-plane basic ion optical system at a topmost level is connected to either the ion outlet or the ion inlet of the in-plane basic ion optical system at a level immediately below by one of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems, and either the ion inlet or the ion outlet of the in-plane basic ion optical system at a bottommost level is connected to either the ion outlet or the ion inlet of the in-plane basic ion optical system at a level immediately above by another one of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems; and the ion inlets and the ion outlets remaining open for connection by the inter-plane basic ion optical systems in the aforementioned four in-plane basic ion optical systems, as well as the ion inlet and the ion outlet of any other two second-neighboring in-plane basic ion optical systems, are connected so as to create a loop-type orbit in which the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the N sets of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems are alternately and sequentially connected.

3. The time-of-flight mass spectrometer according to claim 1 ,
wherein among all the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems, the ion outlet of one of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the ion inlet of another one of the in-plane basic ion optical systems are connected by one of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems, except the ion inlet or the ion outlet of the topmost in-plane basic ion optical system as well as the ion outlet or the ion inlet of the bottommost in-plane basic ion optical system, so as to create a basic unit having a linear orbit in which the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the N−1 sets of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems are alternately and sequentially connected; and
a loop-type orbit is formed by aligning an ion-beam axis at the ion outlet of the topmost in-plane basic ion optical system of one basic unit with an ion-beam axis at the ion inlet of the topmost in-plane basic ion optical system of another basic unit, and aligning an ion-beam axis at the ion outlet of the bottommost in-plane basic ion optical system of the aforementioned one basic unit with an ion-beam axis at the ion inlet of the bottommost in-plane basic ion optical system of the aforementioned another basic unit.

4. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the loop-type orbit is configured by the sector-shaped electrodes to form a three-dimensionally deformed figure eight.

5. A time-of-flight mass spectrometer for making ions fly in a flight space by giving a predetermined amount of energy to the ions, for temporally separating the ions according to their mass during their flight, and for detecting the separated ions with an ion detector, comprising:
a plurality of in-plane basic ion optical systems and a plurality of inter-plane basic ion optical systems, each basic ion optical system having one ion inlet, one ion outlet and a flight orbit on a same plane, each in-plane basic ion optical system comprising a plurality of toroidal sector-shaped electrodes for generating electric fields to form the flight orbit on the plane, wherein each toroidal sector-shaped electrode has a deflection angle of 270 degrees to deflect the ions to turn 360 degrees or more such that the flight distance is elongated while ensuring a temporal focusing condition at the ion outlet for the ions entering from the ion inlet; and
N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems separately stacked at predetermined intervals where N is an integer equal to or greater than four, wherein among all the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems, the ion outlet of one of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the ion inlet of another one of the in-plane basic ion optical systems are connected by one of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems so as to create a loop-type orbit in which the N sets of the in-plane basic ion optical systems and the N sets of the inter-plane basic ion optical systems are alternately and sequentially connected.

Assignees

• Yamaguchi Shinichi
• Shimadzu Corp

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Shinichi

Classifications

• H01J49/408 Primary

  with multiple changes of direction, e.g. by using electric or magnetic sectors, closed-loop time-of-flight · CPC title