Multiple channel detection for time of flight mass spectrometry

摘要

An ion detector for a TOF mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising a single microchannel plate 1 arranged to receive ions 2 and output electrons 3. In one embodiment, the electrons 3 are directed onto an array of silicon photodiodes 4 which detect the electrons directly. Alternatively, the electrons 3 are converted to photons by a scintillator (9, Figure 7), said photons then being detected by the array of photodiodes 4. The output from each photodiode 4 is connected via a separate discriminator to a separate time to digital converter (TDC) in an array of such devices provided on an ASIC 5.