Patent ID: 9673034
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: H01J

Claim:
1. A time of flight analyser comprising: an ion guide comprising a plurality of electrodes; a device for confining ions radially within said ion guide; an ion detector for detecting ions leaving the ion guide; a device for applying a time varying inhomogeneous axial electric field along at least a portion of an axial length of said ion guide to urge ions through the ion guide in a first direction; further comprising at least one of: (i) a device arranged and adapted for maintaining a substantially constant DC voltage gradient along at least a portion of the axial length of the ion guide for urging the ions; and/or (ii) a device arranged and adapted to apply one or more transient DC voltages or potentials, or one or more transient DC voltage or potential waveforms, to at least some of the electrodes along at least a portion of the axial length of the ion guide for urging the ions; and/or (iii) a device arranged and adapted to flow a collision, background or other gas through the ion guide for urging the ions; wherein the analyser is arranged and adapted ions to cause the ions to separate temporally through said ion guide and arrive at the ion detector at different times that are based on their mass to charge ratios and/or ion mobilities.