Detector for a bipolar time-of-flight mass spectrometer
AssigneeBurle Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBruce Laprade, Ronald Starcher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A replaceable, electronically-isolated, MCP-based spectrometer detector cartridge with enhanced sensitivity is disclosed. A mass detector is electro-optically isolated from a charge collector with an electron multiplier for converting a charged particle into a multiplicity of electrons and a scintillator for converting the multiplicity of electrons into a multiplicity of photons. A light sensor is provided to convert the multiplicity of photons back into electrons which are summed into a charge pulse. The light sensor is realized by any of a plurality of photo-responsive devices.
Claims20
A detector for a time-of-flight mass spectrometer comprising:
- an electron multiplier, for converting a charged particle into a multiplicity of electrons;
- a scintillator, for converting the multiplicity of electrons into a multiplicity of photons;
- and
- a collector disposed for receiving the multiplicity of photons and adapted for reconverting said photons into a second multiplicity of electrons and integrating said second multiplicity of electrons into a charge pulse corresponding to the mass of the charged particle;
- wherein said collector comprises a light sensor selected from the group consisting of an avalanche photodiode, an avalanche photodiode array, a charge coupled device, a photovoltaic device, a CdS photoconductive cell, a PN photodiode, a PIN photodiode, a phototransistor, a vacuum photodiode, an image intensifier tube having a metal anode in place of a luminescent screen, a microchannel plate type photomultiplier, and a photomultiplier tube incorporating stage skipping.
A detector for a time-of-flight mass spectrometer comprising:
- a microchannel plate disposed for receiving a charged particle and formed for converting the charged particle into a multiplicity of electrons;
- a scintillator disposed for receiving the multiplicity of electrons from said microchannel plate for converting the multiplicity of electrons into a multiplicity of photons;
- and
- a collector disposed for receiving the multiplicity of photons and adapted for reconverting the multiplicity of photons into a second multiplicity of electrons and integrating said second multiplicity of electrons into a charge pulse corresponding to the mass of the charged particle;
- wherein said collector comprises a light sensor selected from the group consisting of an avalanche photodiode, an avalanche photodiode array, a charge coupled device, a photovoltaic device, a CdS photoconductive cell, a PN photodiode, a PIN photodiode, a phototransistor, a vacuum photodiode, an image intensifier tube having a metal anode in place of a luminescent screen, a microchannel plate type photomultiplier, and a photomultiplier tube incorporating stage skipping.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.