TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY USING MULTI-CHANNEL DETECTORS

摘要

A time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) utilizes a multi-channel ion detector to detect ions traveling in separate flight paths, spatially dispersed along a drift axis and/or a transverse axis, in a flight tube of a TOF analyzer. The ion beams may be dispersed by drift energy, deflection along the drift and/or transverse axis, ion mass, or a combination of two or more of the foregoing. The dispersion may be carried out before, at, or after an ion accelerator of the TOF analyzer. Ion packets may be accelerated into the flight tube at a multi-pulse firing rate. Tandem MS may be implemented on parallel ion beams simultaneously.

主权项

1. A time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) system, comprising:
an ion source; a TOF analyzer comprising an ion accelerator, a flight tube, and an ion detector comprising a plurality of channels; and an ion dispersion device configured for dispersing ions from the ion source into a plurality of spatially separated flight paths in the flight tube, wherein respective channels are aligned with the flight paths.