Apparatus and methods for ion mobility spectrometry
AssigneeThermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH
InventorAlexander Makarov
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Abstract
A method of ion mobility spectrometry wherein ions undergo multiple stages of ion mobility separation and multiple stages of inertial ion motion wherein the mean free path between ion collisions with gas is significantly longer than in the stages of ion mobility separation, wherein each stage of inertial ion motion lies between successive stages of ion mobility separation.
Claims26
A method of ion mobility spectrometry wherein ions undergo multiple stages of ion mobility separation in a drift space region and multiple stages of inertial ion motion wherein the mean free path between ion collisions with gas is longer than in the stages of ion mobility separation, wherein each stage of inertial ion motion lies between successive stages of ion mobility separation to reflect or deflect ions back through the drift space region for a next stage of ion mobility separation to increase ion mobility separation until a desired level is achieved, a drift time separation is maintained between the ions in the stages of inertial ion motion.
An ion mobility spectrometer comprising:
- one or more drift spaces for separating ions according to their ion mobility;
- and one or more regions for allowing the ions to undergo inertial ion motion wherein their mean free path between collisions with gas is longer than in the one or more drift spaces, wherein each of the one or more regions is configured to receive the ions from one of the one or more drift spaces and comprises ion optics to reflect or deflect the ions into the same or another one of the one or more drift spaces, whereby each of the one or more drift spaces is arranged to be passed through multiple times by the ions and a drift time separation is maintained between the ions in the stages of inertial ion motion to increase ion mobility separation until desired level is achieved.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.