Patent ID: 7534996
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
1. A mass spectrometer system comprising: a source for providing a gas sample stream; a first fragmentation device for generating a stream of ions from the gas sample stream; ion focusing optics responsive to the stream of ions, said ion focusing optics focusing the ions depending on their velocity in a direction transverse to their propagation axis, said ion focusing optics including a series of annular electrode lenses that focus the ions, wherein the diameter of an aperture of each annular electrode lens and the spacing between the annular electrode lenses is selected for the particular gas sample; a first pair of deflection plates receiving the stream of ions focused by the ion focusing optics therebetween, said first pair of deflection plates being responsive to an electrical pulse to generate a pulsed electric field between the first pair of deflection plates, said electrical pulse being turned on before a group of ions reaches a deflection region between the first pair of deflection plates and being turned off before the group of ions leaves the deflection region between the first pair of deflection plates so as to provide a transverse velocity component of the ions depending on the mass of the ions; a reflecting device responsive to the stream of ions from the first pair of deflection plates, said reflecting device directing the ions in the stream along different paths depending on their mass; and a detector responsive to the ions from the reflecting device so as to provide a position sensitive image of the different ion paths.