Mass Spectrometer
AssigneeMicromass UK Limited
InventorsKevin Giles, Martin Green, Jason Lee Wildgoose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ion guide or ion trap 1 is disclosed comprising a segmented linear ion guide or ion trap. Ions are confined radially within the ion guide or ion trap 1 by the application of an AC or RF voltage to the electrodes. Ions are trapped within an axial quadratic potential well which is oscillated or modulated axially so as to cause ions to be ejected from the ion guide or ion trap 1 in a substantially non-resonant manner.
Claims41
An ion guide or ion trap comprising:
- a plurality of electrodes;
- AC or RF voltage means arranged and adapted to apply an AC or RF voltage to at least some of said plurality of electrodes in order to confine radially at least some ions within said ion guide or ion trap;
- first means arranged and adapted to maintain one or more substantially quadratic potential wells along at least a portion of the axial length of said ion guide or ion trap in a first mode of operation, said one or more substantially quadratic potential wells having a minimum;
- modulation means arranged and adapted to modulate or oscillate the position of said one or more substantially quadratic potential wells and/or the position of the minimum of said one or more substantially quadratic potential wells along at least a portion of the axial length of said ion guide or ion trap;
- and
- ejection means arranged and adapted in said first mode of operation to eject at least some ions from a trapping region of said ion guide or ion trap in a substantially non-resonant manner whilst other ions are arranged to remain substantially trapped within said trapping region of said ion guide or ion trap.
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A method of guiding or trapping ions comprising:
- providing an ion trap or ion guide comprising a plurality of electrodes;
- applying an AC or RF voltage to at least some of said plurality of electrodes in order to confine radially at least some ions within said ion guide or ion trap;
- maintaining one or more substantially quadratic potential wells along at least a portion of the axial length of said ion guide or ion trap in a first mode of operation, said one or more substantially quadratic potential wells having a minimum;
- modulating or oscillating the position of said one or more substantially quadratic potential wells and/or the position of the minimum of said one or more substantially quadratic potential wells along at least a portion of the axial length of said ion guide or ion trap;
- and
- ejecting at least some ions from a trapping region of said ion guide or ion trap in a substantially non-resonant manner whilst other ions are arranged to remain substantially trapped within said trapping region of said ion guide or ion trap.
113-116. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.