Mass spectrometry from surfaces

Details Mass spectrometry from surfaces Mass spectrometry from surfaces

1999-10-06

2001-03-20

Berman, Jack (Department: 2881)

Radiant energy

Ionic separation or analysis

Ion beam pulsing means with detector synchronizing means

C250S288000, C250S282000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06204500

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of mass spectrometry and in particular to apparatus and methods for ion-surface interactions within mass analyzers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mass spectrometers are used to analyze sample substances (containing elements or compounds or mixtures of elements or compounds) by measuring the mass to charge of ions produced from a sample substance in an ion source. A number of types of ion sources that can produce ions from solid, liquid or gaseous sample substrates have been combined with mass spectrometers. Ions can be produced in vacuum using ion sources, including, but not limited to, Electron Ionization (EI), Chemical Ionization (CI), Laser Desorption (LD), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption (MALDI), Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB), Field Desorption (FD) or Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). Alternatively, ions can be produced at or near atmospheric pressure using ion sources, including, but not limited to, Electrospray (ES), Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) or Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). Ion sources that operate at intermediate vacuum pressures such as Glow Discharge Ion Sources have also been used to generate ions for mass spectrometric analysis. Ion sources that operate in vacuum are generally located in the vacuum region of the mass spectrometer near the entrance to the mass analyzer to improve the efficiency of ion transfer to the detector. Ion sources that produce ions in vacuum have also been located outside of the region near the mass spectrometer entrance. The ions produced in a location removed from the mass analyzer entrance must be delivered to the entrance region of the mass spectrometer prior to mass analysis. Atmospheric or intermediate pressure ion sources are configured to deliver ions produced at higher pressure into the vacuum region of the mass analyzer. The geometry and performance of the ion optics used to transport ions from an ion source into the entrance region of a given mass analyzer type can greatly affect the mass analyzer performance. This is particularly the case with Time-Of-Flight mass analyzers, in which the initial spatial and energy distribution of the ions pulsed into the flight tube of a Time-Of-Flight mass analyzer affects the resulting mass to charge analysis resolution and mass accuracy.
Mass to charge analysis conducted in a Time-Of-Flight mass TOF) spectrometer is achieved by accelerating or pulsing a group of ions into a flight tube under vacuum conditions. During the flight time, ions of different mass to charge values spatially separate prior to impacting on a detector surface. Ions are accelerated from a first acceleration or pulsing region and may be subject to one or more acceleration and deceleration regions during the ion flight time prior to impinging on a detector surface. Multiple ion accelerating and decelerating stages configured in Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometers aid in compensating or correcting for the initial ion spatial and energy dispersion of the initial ion population in the first ion pulsing or accelerating region. The most common lens geometry used in the first TOF ion pulsing or accelerating region is two parallel planar electrodes with the electrode surfaces oriented perpendicular to the direction of ion acceleration into the Time-Of-Flight tube. The direction of the initial ion acceleration is generally in a direction parallel with the TOF tube axis. A linear uniform electric field is formed in the gap between the two parallel planar electrodes when different electrical potentials are applied to the two electrodes. The planar electrode positioned in the direction of ion acceleration into the TOF tube is generally configured as a highly transparent grid to allow ions to pass through with minimal interference to the ion trajectories. To maximize the performance of a Time-Of-Flight mass analyzer, it is desirable to initiate the acceleration of ions in the pulsing region with all ions initially positioned in a plane parallel with the planar electrodes and initially having the same initial kinetic energy component in the direction of acceleration. Consequently, when ions are generated in or transported into the initial accelerating or pulsing region of a Time-Of-Flight mass analyzer, conditions are avoided which lead to ion energy or spatial dispersion at the initiation of ion acceleration into the Time-Of-Flight tube drift region. As a practical matter, a population of gaseous phase ions located in the pulsing region will have a non-zero spatial and kinetic energy distribution prior to pulsing into a Time-Of-Flight tube drift region. This non zero spatial and kinetic energy spread may degrade Time-Of-Flight mass to charge analysis resolution, sensitivity and mass measurement accuracy. In one aspect of the present invention, the spatial and energy spread of an ion population is minimized prior to accelerating the population of ions into a Time-Of-Flight tube drift region.
When ion spatial and energy spread can not be avoided in the TOF pulsing or first accelerating region, it is desirable to have the ion energy and spatial distributions correlated so that both can be compensated and corrected for during the ion flight time prior to hitting the detector. A correlation between the ion kinetic energy component in the TOF axial direction and spatial spread can occur in the TOF pulsing region when spatially dispersed ions with a non random TOF axial kinetic energy component are accelerated in a uniform electric field formed between two parallel electrodes. Wiley et. al., The Review of Scientific Instruments 26(12):1150-1157 (1955) described the configuration and operation of a second ion accelerating region to refocus ions of like mass to charge along the TOF flight path that start their acceleration with a correlated spatial and energy spread. Electrode geometries in the TOF tube and voltages applied to these electrodes can be varied with this technique to position the focal plane of a packet of ions of the same mass to charge value at the detector surface to achieve maximum resolution. The Wiley-McClaren focusing technique improves resolution when ions occupying a finite volume between two parallel plate electrodes are accelerated. In a uniform electric accelerating field, ions of the same m/z value located closer to the repelling electrode will begin their acceleration at a higher potential than an ion of the same m/z initiating its acceleration at a position further from the repelling electrode. The ion that starts its acceleration nearer to the repelling electrode surface at a higher potential, must travel further than the slower ion which starts its acceleration at a lower potential closer to the extraction grid or electrode. At some point in the subsequent ion flight, the faster ion will pass the slower ion of the same m/z value. By adding a second accelerating region, the location of the point where the ions having the same mass to charge value pass and hence are “focused” in a plane, can be optimized to accommodate a desired flight time and flight tube geometry. The focal point occurring in the first field free region in the TOF drift tube can be “reflected” into a second field free region using an ion mirror or reflector in the ion flight path.
Variations in ion flight time can also be caused by initial ion velocity components not correlated to the spatial spread. This non-correlated ion kinetic energy distribution can be compensated for, to some degree, by the addition of an ion reflector or mirror in the ion flight path. Ions of the same m/z value with higher kinetic energy in the TOF axial direction will penetrate deeper into the decelerating field of an ion reflector prior to being re-accelerated in the direction of the detector. The ion with higher kinetic energy experiences a longer flight path when compared to a lower energy ion of the same m/z value. Subjecting an ion to multiple accelerating and decelerating electric fields allows operation of a TOF mass analyzer with higher order focusing to improve resolution

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