Patent ID: 7057166

Claim:
A method of separating ions, including a first species of ion and a second species of ion that are transmitted through an analyzer region under substantially identical electrical field conditions, the method comprising: providing an analyzer region that is defined by a space between a first electrode surface and a second electrode surface and that has a length that is defined between an ion origin end and an ion detection end; providing ions within the analyzer region at the ion origin end thereof, the ions including a first species of ion and a second species of ion; during a period of time that is shorter than the time that is required for an ion to traverse the length of the analyzer region under a given set of operating conditions, providing sequentially: i) first electric field conditions for substantially retaining the first species of ion within the analyzer region, by the application of an asymmetric waveform potential to one of the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface, and by the application of a first direct current potential difference between the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface; ii) second electric field conditions for preferentially colliding the second species of ion with one of the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface, by the application of an asymmetric waveform potential to the one of the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface, and by the application of a second direct current potential difference between the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface, the second direct current potential difference having at least one of a direction and a magnitude that is different compared to that of the first direct current potential difference; and, iii) third electric field conditions for substantially retaining the first species of ion within the analyzer region, by the application of an asymmetric waveform potential to the one of the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface, and by the application of a third direct current potential difference between the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface.