Patent ID: 7189966

Claim:
An apparatus for separating ions, comprising: a first electrode having a first orifice defined therethrough; a FAIMS analyzer comprising a second electrode having a second orifice defined therethrough, the second orifice spaced-apart from and approximately aligned with the first orifice when the apparatus is in an assembled condition; a curtain gas chamber defined by a space between the first electrode and the second electrode and being dimensioned larger than a size of either one of the first orifice and the second orifice, the curtain gas chamber including a third orifice for providing a flow of a gas from a gas source into the curtain gas chamber; and, a diffuser comprising a porous material and having a length, the diffuser including a passageway extending along the length between a first end of the diffuser and an opposite second end of the diffuser, the passageway being open at the first end and at the second end, the diffuser being disposed within the curtain gas chamber between the third orifice and each of the first and second orifices, and such that both of the first orifice and the second orifice are aligned with the passageway through the diffuser.