# US 8,772,713 B1 · Flight time based mass microscope system for ultra high-speed multi mode mass analysis

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- Number: US 8,772,713 B1
- Document ID: US8772713B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 14/117,116
- Filed: 2012-05-03
- Published: 2014-07-03
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2011-05-13
- Assignees: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science
- Applicants: Jeong Hee Moon; Dae Won Moon; Tae Geol Lee; Sohee Yoon; Ju Hwang Kim
- Inventors: Jeong Hee Moon; Dae Won Moon; Tae Geol Lee; Sohee Yoon; Ju Hwang Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8772713B1

## CPC

- H01J 49/0004: {Imaging particle spectrometry}
- H01J 49/142: {using a solid target which is not previously vapourised}
- H01J 49/164: {Laser desorption/ionisation, e.g. matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation [MALDI] (sample holders H01J49/0418)}
- H01J 49/40: Time-of-flight spectrometers (H01J49/36 takes precedence)
- H01J 49/406: {with multiple reflections}
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a time-of-flight based mass microscope system for an ultra-high speed multi-mode mass analysis, for using a laser beam or an ion beam simultaneously to enable both a low molecular weight analysis such as for drugs/metabolome/lipids/peptides and a high molecular weight analysis such as for genes/proteins, without being limited by the molecular weight of the object being analyzed, and for significantly increasing the measuring speed by using a microscope method instead of a microprobe method.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A time-of-flight (TOF) based mass microscope system for an ultra-high speed multi-mode mass analysis, the time-of-flight based mass microscope system performing a mass imaging analysis of a sample in a microscope mode by irradiating a laser beam, an ion beam, or any one of the laser beam and the ion beam in a defocused state on the sample, photographing an image of the sample, and simultaneously measuring and detecting a position of a secondary ion generated from the sample at the time of irradiating the laser beam or the ion beam, based on a time-of-flight (TOF), so as to perform the analysis with respect to all samples having from a low molecular weight sample to a high molecular weight sample.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein the high molecular weight sample is at least any one selected from genes, proteins, and polymers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein the low molecular weight sample is at least any one selected from drugs, metabolome, lipids, and peptides.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein the position of the secondary ion is detected by using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) scheme at the time of irradiating the laser beam.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein the position of the secondary ion is detected by using a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS) scheme at the time of irradiating the ion beam.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein a simultaneous detector for time and position including a delay-line detector is used in order to measure the position of the secondary ion generated from the sample.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein at the time of measuring the position of the secondary ion generated from the sample, both of a linear scheme and a reflectron scheme are used.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system claim 1, wherein it includes:
a laser input irradiating a laser beam on a sample;
an ion gun assembly irradiating an ion beam on a sample;
a sample inlet chamber into which the sample is input by a sample input part;
a sample plate in which the sample is disposed;
a sample plate manipulator controlling a position of the sample plate;
a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera photographing an image of the sample;
a source lens assembly controlling a focus of the laser beam or the ion beam irradiated to the sample; and
a position sensitive time of-flight (TOF) detector measuring the position of the secondary ion generated from the sample.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 8, wherein the position sensitive TOF detector includes:
a linear mode position sensitive TOF detector measuring the position of the secondary ion generated from the sample in a linear scheme; and
a reflectron mode position sensitive TOF detector measuring the position of the secondary ion generated from the sample in a reflectron scheme.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 1, wherein it includes an ion optics assembly collecting the secondary ions so that the secondary ions generated by the laser beam or the ion beam irradiated to the sample are smoothly detected.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 8, wherein the position sensitive TOF detector includes the ion optics assembly.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 10, wherein the ion optics assembly includes:
an ion optics including at least one extractor and at least one einzel lens;
a source assembly support formed in a tubular shape and provided at a rear end of the ion optics so as to be disposed on the same axis as the ion optics;
a mounting plate formed in a plate shape and disposed on the same axis as the source assembly support;
a ground electric field shielding tube formed in a tubular shape, and disposed on the same axis as the ion optics while penetrating through the center of the mounting plate; and
an ion gate provided at a rear end of the ground electric field shielding tube, guiding the secondary ions collected by the ion optics and flying while passing through the ground electric field shielding tube to pass the secondary ions through the ion gate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 12, wherein the ion optics assembly further includes a reflectron supported by a reflectron support provided in the mounting plate and formed at a rear side of the ion gate in a shape in which at least one ion mirror is multilayered.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 12, wherein the ion optics includes:
an outer extractor formed of a tubular body of which an inner portion is empty, having one side formed in a shape of a cone, and having a hole penetrating therethrough in an axial direction at an apex of the cone so that secondary ions pass therethrough, the apex of the cone being disposed to be adjacent to the sample,
a first inner extractor formed of a tubular body of which an inner portion is empty, having one side formed in a hemisphere shape, and having a hole penetrating therethrough in an axial direction at the center of the hemisphere so that secondary ions pass therethrough, a portion of the first inner extractor being inserted into an inner side of the outer extractor and disposed on the same axis as the outer extractor;
a second inner extractor formed in a pillar shape, having a hole penetrating therethrough in an axis direction at the center so that the secondary ions are passed therethrough, disposed on the same axis as the first inner extractor, connected to the first inner extractor, and spaced apart from the outer extractor by an insulating spacer;
a first ground electrode formed in a plate shape, having a hole formed at the center so that the secondary ions are passed therethrough and spaced apart on the same axis as a rear side of the second inner extractor by an insulating spacer;
an einzel lens having a hole formed at the center so that the secondary ions are passed therethrough and spaced apart on the same axis as a rear side of the first ground electrode; and
a second ground electrode formed in a plate shape, having a hole formed at the center so that the secondary ions are passed therethrough and spaced apart on the same axis as a rear side of the einzel lens.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The time-of-flight based mass microscope system of claim 10, wherein the position sensitive TOF detector includes the ion optics assembly.