Capacitor as alternative to power supply for low leakage current ion optics elements in mass spectrometers

Abstract

Ion detection systems include a high energy conversion dynode network including at least one high energy conversion dynode situated in a vacuum chamber, and a high voltage source coupled or couplable to the high energy conversion dynode network to selectively charge the high energy conversion dynode, wherein the ion detection system is configured to use charge stored by the high energy conversion dynode network to detect ions while the high energy conversion dynode is not being charged by the high voltage source. Methods include charging a high energy conversion dynode situated in a vacuum chamber and that is part of a high energy conversion dynode network, using a high voltage source, and detecting an ion with the high energy conversion dynode using the charge stored by the high energy conversion dynode network, while the high energy conversion dynode is not being charged by the high voltage source.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.