Patent ID: 11881388
Assignee: DH TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT PTE. LTD.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 10:
11. A mass spectrometer system, comprising:
an ion source for generating an ion beam comprising a plurality of ions;
a quadrupole assembly having a quadrupole rod set extending from an input end for receiving the ions to an output end through which ions exit the quadrupole rod set;
one or more power sources configured to provide i) a radial confinement signal to the quadrupole rod set for generating a field for radial confinement of the ions as they pass therethrough, and ii) a voltage pulse across the quadrupole assembly so as to excite radial oscillations of at least a portion of the ions at secular frequencies thereof, wherein fringing fields in proximity to said output end convert said radial oscillations of at least a portion of said excited ions into axial oscillations as said excited ions exit the quadrupole rod set;
a detector for detecting at least a portion of said axially oscillating ions exiting the quadrupole rod set so as to generate a time-varying signal; and, a controller configured to:
control the power sources so as to sequentially provide first and second radial confinement signals to the quadrupole rod set as the ion beam passes through the quadrupole assembly, wherein the first and second radial confinement signals differ in at least one of a RF voltage and a resolving DC voltage applied to the rods of the quadrupole rod set;
obtain a Fourier transform of said time-varying signal generated from the one or more voltage pulses applied while sequentially applying each of the first and second radial confinement signals so as to respectively generate first and second frequency-domain signals,
utilize said first and second frequency-domain signals so as to generate first and second mass spectrum of the ions excited from the application of the voltage pulse and each of the first and second radial confinement signals respectively, and
join at least portions of the first and second mass spectra.