Patent ID: 7208726
Filing Date: 2007-04-24
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for analyzing ions comprising: an ion source; an ion trap disposed to receive ions from said ion source; a time of flight mass analyzer comprising a pulser region, said pulser region disposed to receive ions from said ion trap; a detector operatively coupled to said time of flight mass analyzer; and a controller configured to control releases of ion packets from said ion trap, said ion packets being larger than said pulser region and larger than can be effectively accelerated toward said detector from said pulser region by an extraction pulse; said controller including a scanning delay timing circuit in operable relation to said pulser region, said scanning delay timing circuit adapted to triggering an extraction pulse at said pulser region to accelerate a portion of an ion packet released by said ion trap, after a delay time following a time of release of said packet, said scanning delay timing circuit configured to scan the delay time to incrementally or decrementally alter the delay time with subsequent releases of said ion packets, to effect acceleration of different portions of said ion packets.