Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. An ion optical assembly comprising:a mounting body having a front side and a back side;a front securing member having a threaded surface and a contact face;a front member having a threaded opening configured to accept the threaded surface of the front securing member, the front member being attached to the mounting body by at least one attachment member; anda first plurality of ion optical elements disposed between the front side of the mounting body and the front member,each ion optical element of the first plurality having a recess structure adapted to receive a complimentary registration structure, a registration structure aligning an ion optical element of the first plurality with respect to at least one other ion optical element of the first plurality when said registration structure is registered in a complimentary recess structure by application of a compressive force by the front securing member against the first plurality of ion optical elements;wherein the threaded opening of the front member is configured such that when the threaded surface of the front securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the front member, the contact face of the front securing member can contact an ion optical element of the first plurality and apply a compressive force against the first plurality of ion optical elements. 2. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, further comprising:a back securing member having a threaded surface and a contact face;a back member having a threaded opening configured to accept the threaded surface of the back securing member, the back member being attached to the mounting body by at least one attachment member; anda second plurality of ion optical elements disposed between the back side of the mounting body and the back member,each ion optical element of the second plurality having a recess structure adapted to receive a complimentary registration structure, a registration structure aligning an ion optical element of the second plurality with respect to at least one other ion optical element of the second plurality when said registration structure is registered in a complimentary recess structure by application of a compressive force by the back securing member against the second plurality of ion optical elements;wherein the threaded opening of the back member is configured such that when the threaded surface of the back securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the back member, the contact face of the back securing member can contact an ion optical element of the second plurality and apply a compressive force against the second plurality of ion optical elements. 3. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the threaded opening comprises one or more of a substantially continuous helical ridge, a substantially continuous spiral ridge, an interrupted helical ridge, an interrupted spiral ridge, and combinations thereof. 4. The ion optical assembly of claim 3, wherein the threaded surface of the front securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the front member by screwing the front securing member into the threaded opening of the front member. 5. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the threaded opening comprises one or more of a substantially continuous circular ridge, an interrupted circular ridge, and combinations thereof. 6. The ion optical assembly of claim 5, wherein the threaded surface of the front securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the front member by pushing the front securing member into the threaded opening of the front member. 7. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the front securing member is beveled and the ion optical element contacted by the front securing member has a beveled surface adapted to receive said beveled contact surface. 8. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the front member is attached to the mounting body by three attachment members. 9. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one attachment members comprises a rod. 10. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting body comprises a region for performing ion fragmentation. 11. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the region for performing ion fragmentation comprises a collision cell. 12. The ion optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the front securing member is self locking in the front member upon application of a pre-selected torque. 13. A system for mounting and aligning ion optic components, comprising:a mounting base having a mounting surface and a back surface opposite the mounting surface, the mounting surface having a plurality of pairs of protrusions protruding from the mounting surface and one or more mounting structures associated with each pair of protrusions;at least one electrical connection element associated with each pair of protrusions, the connection elements passing through the mounting base from the back surface to the mounting surface;two or more ion optic component supports, each ion optic component support having a pair of recesses configured to receive one or more of the plurality of pairs of protrusions;such that when the pair of recesses of an ion optic component support is brought into registration with the corresponding pair of protrusions by mounting an ion optic component to the mounting base using the one or more mounting structures associated with the pair of protrusions, an ion optics component mounted in said ion optic component support is substantially aligned with another ion optics component so mounted and an electrical connection site on said ion optics component is proximate to a corresponding electrical connection element associated with said corresponding pair of protrusions. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the ion optic component supports comprises a mounting body having a region for performing ion fragmentation. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the region for performing ion fragmentation comprises a collision cell. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein an ion optics assembly is mounted to the mounting body, wherein the ion optics assembly comprises:a front securing member having a threaded surface and a contact face;a front member having a threaded opening configured to accept the threaded surface of the front securing member, the front member being attached to the mounting body by at least one attachment member; anda first plurality of ion optical elements disposed between a front side of the mounting body and the front member,each ion optical element of the first plurality having a recess structure adapted to receive a complimentary registration structure, a registration structure aligning an ion optical element of the first plurality with respect to at least one other ion optical element of the first plurality when said registration structure is registered in a complimentary recess structure by application of a compressive force by the front securing member against the first plurality of ion optical elements;wherein the threaded opening of the front member is configured such that when the threaded surface of the front securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the front member, the contact face of the front securing member can contact an ion optical element of the first plurality and apply a compressive force against the first plurality of ion optical elements. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the ion optics assembly comprises:a back securing member having a threaded surface and a contact face;a back member having a threaded opening configured to accept the threaded surface of the back securing member, the back member being attached to the mounting body by at least one attachment member; anda second plurality of ion optical elements disposed between a back side of the mounting body and the back member,each ion optical element of the second plurality having a recess structure adapted to receive a complimentary registration structure, a registration structure aligning an ion optical element of the second plurality with respect to at least one other ion optical element of the second plurality when said registration structure is registered in a complimentary recess structure by application of a compressive force by the back securing member against the second plurality of ion optical elements;wherein the threaded opening of the back member is configured such that when the threaded surface of the back securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the back member, the contact face of the back securing member can contact an ion optical element of the second plurality and apply a compressive force against the second plurality of ion optical elements. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of pairs of protrusions are configured such that only one orientation of an ion optic component support will enable the pair of recesses of the ion optic component support to be brought into registration with the corresponding pair of protrusions. 19. The system of claim 13, wherein the pairs of protrusions are configured to have different shapes for ion optic component supports for different ion optic components. 20. An ion optical assembly comprising:a mounting body having a front side and a back side, and a region disposed therein for performing ion fragmentation by collision induced dissociation;a front securing member having a threaded surface and a contact face;a front member having a threaded opening configured to accept the threaded surface of the front securing member, the front member being attached to the mounting body by at least one attachment member;a first plurality of ion optical elements disposed between the front side of the mounting body and the front member,each ion optical element of the first plurality having a recess structure adapted to receive a complimentary registration structure, a registration structure aligning an ion optical element of the first plurality with respect to at least one other ion optical element of the first plurality when said registration structure is registered in a complimentary recess structure by application of a compressive force by the front securing member against the first plurality of ion optical elements;wherein the threaded opening of the front member is configured such that when the threaded surface of the front securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the front member, the contact face of the front securing member can contact an ion optical element of the first plurality and apply a compressive force against the first plurality of ion optical elements;a back securing member having a threaded surface and a contact face;a back member having a threaded opening configured to accept the threaded surface of the back securing member, the back member being attached to the mounting body by at least one attachment member; anda second plurality of ion optical elements disposed between the back side of the mounting body and the back member,each ion optical element of the second plurality having a recess structure adapted to receive a complimentary registration structure, a registration structure aligning an ion optical element of the second plurality with respect to at least one other ion optical element of the second plurality when said registration structure is registered in a complimentary recess structure by application of a compressive force by the back securing member against the second plurality of ion optical elements;wherein the threaded opening of the back member is configured such that when the threaded surface of the back securing member is engaged in the threaded opening of the back member, the contact face of the back securing member can contact an ion optical element of the second plurality and apply a compressive force against the second plurality of ion optical elements.