Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100051799 | MULTI-CHANNEL DETECTION - A mass spectrometer and method of mass spectrometry wherein charged particles in a beam undergo multiple changes of direction. A detection arrangement detects a first portion of the charged particle beam, and provides a first output based upon the intensity of the detected first portion of the charged particle beam. The detection arrangement detects a second portion of the charged particle beam that has travelled a greater path length through the mass spectrometer than the first portion of the charged particle beam, and provides a second output based upon the detected second portion of the charged particle beam. A controller adjusts the parameters of the charged particle beam and/or the detection arrangement, based upon the first output of the detection arrangement, so as to adjust the second output of the detection arrangement. | 03-04-2010 |
20100059673 | Multiple Ion Isolation in Multi-Reflection Systems - This invention relates to a method of operating a charged particle trap in which ions undergo multiple reflections back and forth and/or follow a closed orbit around, usually, a set of electrodes. The invention allows high-performance isolation of multiple ion species for subsequent detection or fragmentation by deflecting ions out of the ion trap according to a timing scheme calculated with reference to the ions' periods of oscillation within the ion trap. | 03-11-2010 |
20110147582 | Multiple Ion Injection in Mass Spectrometry - This invention relates to mass spectrometry that includes ion trapping in at least one of the stages of mass analysis. In particular, although not exclusively, this invention relates to tandem mass spectrometry where precursor ions and fragment ions are analysed. A method of mass spectrometry is provided comprising the sequential steps of: accumulating in an ion store a sample of one type of ions to be analysed; accumulating in the ion store a sample of another type of ions to be analysed; and mass analysing the combined samples of the ions; wherein the method comprises accumulating the sample of the one type of ions and/or the sample of another type of ions to achieve a target number of ions based on the results of a previous measurement of the respective type of ions. | 06-23-2011 |
20110315873 | Ion Storage Device with Direction-Selective Radial Ejection - The present invention provides a radio frequency (RF) power supply in a mass spectrometer. The power supply provides an RF signal to electrodes of a storage device to create a trapping field. The RF field is usually collapsed prior to ion ejection. In an illustrative embodiment the RF power supply includes a RF signal supply; a coil arranged to receive the signal provided by the RF signal supply and to provide an output RF signal for supply to electrodes of an ion storage device; and a shunt including a switch operative to switch between a first open position and a second closed position in which the shunt shorts the coil output. | 12-29-2011 |
20120104245 | Multi-Channel Detection - A mass spectrometer and method of mass spectrometry wherein charged particles in a beam undergo multiple changes of direction. A detection arrangement detects a first portion of the charged particle beam, and provides a first output based upon the intensity of the detected first portion of the charged particle beam. The detection arrangement detects a second portion of the charged particle beam that has traveled a greater path length through the mass spectrometer than the first portion of the charged particle beam, and provides a second output based upon the detected second portion of the charged particle beam. A controller adjusts the parameters of the charged particle beam and/or the detection arrangement, based upon the first output of the detection arrangement, so as to adjust the second output of the detection arrangement. | 05-03-2012 |
20120109537 | METHOD OF GENERATING A MASS SPECTRUM HAVING IMPROVED RESOLVING POWER - A method is disclosed for generating a mass spectrum, e.g. for Fourier transform mass spectrometry, having improved resolving power. The method includes steps of acquiring a plurality of mass spectra from a mass spectrometer using image current detection determining the centroids of at least some of the peaks which have a sufficient signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio so that the variation of the centroid of each such peak from the plurality of mass spectra is significantly lower than the full-width at half-maximum, dM, of the peak in the m/z domain; and generating a histogram of the centroids determined from the plurality of acquired mass spectra thereby forming a composite mass spectrum. The resultant composite mass spectrum comprises peaks having full-width at half-maximum, dMC, significantly narrower than the peak width, dM, of the corresponding peaks in the plurality of acquired mass spectra. | 05-03-2012 |
20140027629 | METHOD AND ANALYSER FOR ANALYSING IONS HAVING A HIGH MASS-TO-CHARGE RATIO - A method for mass analysing multiply-charged ions is provided as well as a mass analyser suitable for performing the method, the method comprising: introducing multiply-charged ions into an electrostatic mass analyser where ions undergo multiple changes of direction of motion; detecting the ions in the analyser; and determining the mass-to-charge ratio of at least some of the detected ions; wherein the absolute velocity in the analyser of at least some of the ions whose mass-to-charge ratio is determined is not greater than 8,000 m/s and the average path length over the duration of detection of such ions is longer than required for detecting such ions with a mass-to-charge ratio resolving power of 1,000. High resolution mass spectra of high m/z protein complexes, for example in a native state and with low charge, can be achieved. | 01-30-2014 |
20140077075 | Multi-Electrode Ion Trap - This invention relates generally to multi-reflection electrostatic systems, and more particularly to improvements in and relating to the Orbitrap electrostatic ion trap. A method of operating an electrostatic ion trapping device having an array of electrodes operable to mimic a single electrode is proposed, the method comprising determining three or more different voltages that, when applied to respective electrodes of the plurality of electrodes, generate an electrostatic trapping field that approximates the field that would be generated by applying a voltage to the single electrode, and applying the three or more so determined voltages to the respective electrodes. Further improvements lie in measuring a plurality of features from peaks with different intensities from one or more collected mass spectra to derive characteristics, and using the measured characteristics to improve the voltages to be applied to the plurality of electrodes. | 03-20-2014 |
20140239172 | Method and Apparatus for Mass Spectrometry - A method for analysing ions according to their mass-to-charge ratio and mass spectrometer for performing the method, comprising directing a collimated ion beam along an ion path from an ion source to an ion detector, causing a portion of the ion beam to contact one or more surfaces prior to reaching the ion detector, wherein the method comprises providing a coating on and/or heating the one or more surfaces to reduce variation in their surface patch potentials. The method is applicable to multi-reflection time-of-flight (MR TOF) mass spectrometry. | 08-28-2014 |
20140326870 | HIGH DUTY CYCLE ION SPECTROMETER - An ion spectrometer is provided, comprising: an ion source, arranged to generate ions continuously with a first range of mass to charge ratios; and an ion trap, arranged to receive ions from the ion source along an axis, and to eject ions with a second range of mass to charge ratios orthogonally to that axis, the second range of mass to charge ratios being narrower than the first range of mass to charge ratios. In some embodiments, ions generated by the ion source continuously flow into the ion trap. Additionally or alternatively, ion optics receive ions ejected from the ion trap and cool the ions without substantial fragmentation. An ion analyser receives ions ejected from the ion trap or ion optics and separates the ions in accordance with at least one characteristic of the ions. | 11-06-2014 |
20140331861 | Mass Spectrometer Vacuum Interface Method and Apparatus - A method of preparing or operating a mass spectrometer vacuum interface comprising a skimmer apparatus having a skimmer aperture and an internal surface of the skimmer apparatus, comprising disposing an adsorbent or getter material on the internal surface. The internal surface has a deposition region where matter from plasma flows may be deposited and the material is disposed on part or all of the deposition region. The disposing step may be performed before a first use and/or intermittently, especially to refresh a previously disposed material. Providing such material serves to trap or collect deposition matter which might anyway be deposited but in such a way that subsequent liberation of that matter is prevented or at least reduced. | 11-13-2014 |
20140339418 | Mass Spectrometer Vacuum Interface Method and Apparatus - A method of operating a mass spectrometer vacuum interface comprising a skimmer apparatus having a skimmer aperture and downstream ion extraction optics. An expanding plasma is skimmed through the skimmer aperture. Within the skimmer apparatus, a portion of the skimmed plasma adjacent the skimmer apparatus is separated from the remainder of the skimmed plasma by providing means to prevent, inhibit or impede, the separated portion from reaching the extraction optics while allowing the remainder to expand towards the extraction optics. This allows removal of ions liberated from deposition matter on the skimmer apparatus surface, thereby discriminating against such ions, and offering reduced memory effects. The remainder of the plasma can expand towards the extraction optics, so interaction and mixing between the boundary layer and the remainder of the plasma can be reduced or minimized. | 11-20-2014 |
20140346345 | Method of Tandem Mass Spectrometry - A method of tandem mass spectrometry is disclosed. A quasi-continuous stream of ions from an ion source ( | 11-27-2014 |
20150021472 | Collision Cell for Tandem Mass Spectrometry - A method and apparatus for tandem mass spectrometry is disclosed. Precursor ions are fragmented and the fragments are accumulated in parallel, by converting an incoming stream of ions from an ion source ( | 01-22-2015 |