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US 5,654,544 AGranted
Mass resolution by angular alignment of the ion detector conversion surface in time-of-flight mass spectrometers with electrostatic steering deflectors
AssigneeAnalytica of Branford, Inc.
InventorThomas Dresch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electrostatic deflectors are used in a time of flight mass spectrometer to steer ions into a detector positioned at a convenient location at the end of a drift region and where the detector assembly is tilted in relation with the steered ion beam in a manner which improves mass spectral resolution.
Claims13
An apparatus for separation of ionic species using a time-of-flight mass analyzer, comprising:
- a time of flight mass analyzer having a time of flight tube, said time of flight tube defining an axis;
- an ion beam steering lens having a homogeneous electrostatic field which is directed predominantly sideways to said axis, said steering lens deflecting ion packets passing through said steering lens, said ion packets being deflected at an angle of deflection, and forming a plane;
- and
- an ion detector placed at the end of a flight tube analyzer region for detection of said ion packets, said detector having a detector surface wherein said detector surface is tilted by an angle equal to said angle of deflection of said ion packets, said detector surface being parallel to said plane of said ion packets.
1 more element
An apparatus for separation of ionic species using a reflection-time-of-flight mass analyzer comprising:
- at least one of ion beam steering electrostatic reflectors having at least one of homogenous reflecting fields, said at least one of ion beam steering electrostatic reflectors defining a longitudinal axis;
- an ion beam steering lens having a homogeneous electrostatic field, which is directed predominantly sideways to the axis of the analyzer said steering lens deflecting ions at an angle;
- said steering lens having entry and exit aperture plates to reduce the fringing fields felt by the ions;
- a means for an ion detector placed after the reflectors at the end of a flight tube analyzer region, said ion detector having a surface, where the surface of the detector is tilted with respect to the plane perpendicular to said axis of the reflectors by an angle equal to said angle of deflections of said ions;
- a means for a tilting mechanism to adjust and achieve the angle on the detector surface matching the angle deflected by the steering lens;
- said tilting mechanism being hermetically sealed to have the means for adjustment from outside a vacuum enclosure.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.