Patent ID: 11881387
Assignee: MICROMASS UK LIMITED
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 17:
18. A time of flight mass spectrometer comprising:
a pulsed ion accelerator;
an ion converter for converting ions into secondary particles;
a time of flight region between the pulsed ion accelerator and the ion converter;
an attenuator for attenuating onward transmission of the secondary particles;
a detector for detecting the secondary particles; and
control circuitry configured to:
(i) control the pulsed ion accelerator to pulse a plurality of packets of ions into the time of flight region such that ions from different ion packets are received at the ion converter over different respective time periods;
(ii) operate the ion converter to convert the ions into secondary particles;
(iii) control the attenuator to attenuate the secondary particles generated during the different time periods by different respective amounts and/or rates, wherein the amount and/or rate of attenuation is maintained substantially constant during each of the time periods; and
(iv) operate the detector to detect the attenuated secondary particles so as to obtain mass spectral data for the ions.