Ion transport device, ion mobility spectrometer, and mass spectrometer
AssigneeGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitaet Hannover
InventorsStefan Zimmermann, Ansgar Kirk, Alexander Bohnhorst
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Abstract
The invention relates to an ion transport device which is designed to transport ions by means of an electric field. The ion transport device has an ion transport channel in which an ion transport chamber is formed. In order to generate the electric field, the ion transport device has a plurality of field generating electrodes which are arranged one behind the other along the length of the ion transport channel in order to move ions through the ion transport chamber in a transport direction. The invention additionally relates to an ion mobility spectrometer and to a mass spectrometer.
Claims22
An ion transport apparatus designed to transport ions by an electrical field, comprising:
- an ion transport channel in which an ion transport chamber is formed, wherein the ion transport channel comprises
- a plurality of field-generating electrodes to generate the electrical field, wherein the plurality of field-generating electrodes are arranged one after another along a longitudinal extent of the ion transport channel, in order to move ions in a transport direction through the ion transport chamber, wherein:
- a) the ion transport channel comprises a plurality of side walls formed of flat plates that surround the ion transport chamber,
- b) the plurality of side walls are formed of electrical circuit boards coated with at least one first conductive layer,
- c) each of the plurality of field-generating electrodes are formed as discontinuous ring electrodes that surround a periphery of the ion transport chamber, wherein one, a plurality, or all of the discontinuous ring electrodes are each composed of individual conductive track segments formed on the electrical circuit boards by a part of the at least one first conductive layer, wherein conductive track segments of each discontinuous ring electrode of the discontinuous ring electrodes may contact each other electrically, but do not have to contact each other electrically,
- d) the ion transport apparatus comprises at least one first voltage divider with a plurality of voltage divider connection points and at least one second voltage divider with a plurality of voltage divider connection points,
- e) wherein the following applies to one, a plurality or all of the discontinuous ring electrodes:
- e1) at least one conductive track segment of the ring electrode is connected to a voltage divider connection point of the plurality of voltage divider connection points of the at least one first voltage divider,
- e2) at least one conductive track segment of the discontinuous ring electrode other than the conductive track segment that is connected to the voltage divider connection point of the plurality of voltage divider connection points of the at least one first voltage divider is connected to a voltage divider connection point of the plurality of voltage divider connection points of the at least one second voltage divider.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein the at least one first voltage divider is assigned to a plurality of side walls and/or the at least one second voltage divider is assigned to a plurality of side walls.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein the at least one first voltage divider is assigned to a first side wall and/or the at least one second voltage divider is assigned to a second side wall.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein the at least one first voltage divider and the at least one second voltage divider are each assigned to each side wall formed of a circuit board of the electrical circuit boards.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein a part or all of the field-generating electrodes are realized on inner layers of the electrical circuit boards.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h further comprising an ion detector arranged at one end of the ion transport channel, wherein the ion detector is formed by a conductive layer of at least one circuit board of the electrical circuit boards or by an etched metal grid that is both mechanically fixed and electrically contacted by the at least one circuit board.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h further comprising an ion gate arranged at at least one end of the ion transport channel or of the ion transport chamber, wherein at least one electrode of the ion gate is formed by a conductive layer of at least one circuit board of the electrical circuit boards or by an etched metal grid that is both mechanically fixed and electrically contacted by the at least one circuit board.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein at least one of the electrical circuit boards comprises at least one groove-like recess into which at least one other circuit board of the electrical circuit boards is inserted with positive lock.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein the discontinuous ring electrodes formed by conductive track segments are configured as polygonal ring electrodes, wherein a number of corners of the polygonal ring electrodes corresponds to a number of side walls of the plurality of side walls.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein a ratio of width to height of a conductive track segment of a ring electrode of the discontinuous ring electrodes is greater than 1.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein a ratio of width to lateral spacing of neighboring conductive track segments of neighboring discontinuous ring electrodes is greater than 0.5.
The ion transport apparatus as claimed in claim h wherein the ion transport apparatus is segmented into segments in the transport direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.