Ion manipulation method and device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9812311-B2
Application number	US-201414783055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2014
Priority date	Apr 8, 2013
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

An ion manipulation method and device is disclosed. The device includes a pair of substantially parallel surfaces. An array of inner electrodes is contained within, and extends substantially along the length of, each parallel surface. The device includes a first outer array of electrodes and a second outer array of electrodes. Each outer array of electrodes is positioned on either side of the inner electrodes, and is contained within and extends substantially along the length of each parallel surface. A DC voltage is applied to the first and second outer array of electrodes. A RF voltage, with a superimposed electric field, is applied to the inner electrodes by applying the DC voltages to each electrode. Ions either move between the parallel surfaces within an ion confinement area or along paths in the direction of the electric field, or can be trapped in the ion confinement area.

First claim

We claim:

1. An ion manipulation device comprising:
a. a first surface and a second surface;
b. inner arrays of electrodes coupled to each of the first and second surface, the inner arrays of electrodes configured to receive RF voltage generating a pseudopotential that inhibits charged particles from approaching either of the first and second surface;
c. outer arrays of electrodes coupled to each of the first and second surface, the outer arrays of electrodes configured to receive a first DC voltage generating a first DC potential,
wherein the generated pseudopotential and the first DC potential manipulate movement of ions in between the surfaces.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the inner and the outer arrays of electrodes extend substantially along the length of the first and second surface.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the outer arrays of electrodes comprise a first outer arrays of electrodes and a second outer arrays of electrodes, the first outer arrays of electrodes is positioned on one side of the inner arrays of electrodes, and the second outer arrays of electrodes is positioned on the other side of the inner arrays of electrodes.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the first and second outer arrays of electrodes receive the first DC voltage and wherein the inner arrays of electrodes receive a second DC voltage.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the RF on at least one inner electrode of the inner arrays of electrodes is phase shifted with its neighboring inner electrode to form the pseudopotential.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the second DC voltage is a static voltage or a dynamic voltage and wherein the static voltage is a DC gradient and the dynamic voltage is a traveling wave.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising multiple pairs of surfaces, wherein transfer of the ions is allowed through apertures in one or more of the surfaces and guided by a series of electrodes to move between different pairs of surfaces of the multiple pairs of surfaces and wherein the series of electrodes have RF potential of alternating polarity to prevent loss of ions as the ions move between the different pairs of parallel surfaces.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the inner and outer arrays of electrodes on the first and second surfaces form at least one of the following configurations:
a. a substantially T-shaped configuration, allowing ions to be switched at a junction of the T-shaped configuration;
b. a substantially Y-shaped configuration, allowing ions to be switched at a junction of the Y-shaped configuration;
c. a substantially X-shaped or cross-shaped configuration, allowing ions to be switched at a junction of one or more sides of the X-shaped or cross-shaped configuration; and
d. a substantially multidirectional shape, such as an asterisk (*) -shaped configuration, with multiple junction points, allowing ions to be switched at a junction to one or more sides of the configuration.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the space between the first and second surfaces includes an inert gas or a gas that ions react with.

10. A method of manipulating ions, comprising:
a. injecting ions between a first and a second surface, wherein the first and second surface contain a plurality of arrays of electrodes coupled to the surfaces, wherein the plurality of electrodes comprise an inner arrays of electrodes coupled to each of the first and second surfaces and an outer arrays of electrodes coupled to each of the first and second surfaces;
b. applying an RF voltage to at least one of the first and second surfaces in order to create a pseudopotential that inhibits charged particles from approaching either of the first and second surfaces;
c. applying DC potentials to the at least one array of electrodes to control and restrict movement of ions in between the surfaces.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the outer arrays of electrodes comprise a first outer arrays of electrodes and a second outer arrays of electrodes, wherein the inner and the outer arrays of electrodes extend substantially along the length of each surface and wherein the first outer arrays of electrodes is positioned on one side of the inner arrays of electrodes, and the second outer electrode array is positioned on the other side of the inner arrays of electrodes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the voltage applied to the inner and outer arrays of electrodes are static, a time-varying DC offset, or a combination of static and time varying DC.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the time-varying DC field allows the ions to move in a circular-shaped path or a rectangular-shaped path, through which the ions make more than one transit.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one array of electrodes of the plurality of arrays of electrodes have the same voltages applied, or the at least one array of electrodes have different voltages applied.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein positive and negative charged ions are induced to fragment or allowed to undergo ion-ion reactions while moving in specific regions.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality electrodes are perpendicular to at least one of the first and second surfaces.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Anderson Gordon A
• Baker Erin M
• Smith Richard D
• Ibrahim Yehia M

Classifications

• H01J49/062 Primary

  Ion guides (linear ion traps performing mass selection H01J49/4225, mass filters H01J49/421) · CPC title