METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLEXING PLURAL ION BEAMS TO A MASS SPECTROMETER

摘要

A multiplexing plural ion beam sources (probe 1, probe 2, probe 3, probe 4) for a mass spectrometer, which comprises at least t ion sources (probe 1, probe 2, probe 3, probe 4); capillaries (1, 2, 3, 4) for transmitting ions to separate two dimensional ion trap (ion trap 1, ion trap 2, ion trap 3, ion trap 4); and a fast voltage switch applied to an exit lens (gate 1, gate 2, gate 3, gate 4). Eac ion trap (ion trap 1, ion trap 2, ion trap 3, ion trap 4), is used for storage and transmission of the ions and operates between the i sources (probe 1, probe 2, probe 3, probe 4) and a mass analyzer (TOF), has a set of equally spaced, parallel multipole rods. The entrance sections of the ion traps (ion trap 1, ion trap 2, ion trap 3, ion trap 4) are placed in a region having a background gas pressure at viscous flow (stage 2). The pressure at the exit sections of the ion traps (ion trap 1, ion trap 2, ion trap 3, ion trap 4) drops to molecular flow pressure regimes without a break in the pressure of the ion traps (ion trap 1, ion trap 2, ion trap 3, ion tr 4).