TOF MASS SPECTROMETRY WITH CORRECTION FOR TRAJECTORY ERROR

摘要

A TOF mass spectrometer includes a pulsed ion source that generates a pulse of ions from a sample. An ion lens focuses the pulse of ions into an ion beam. An ion deflector deflects the ion beam. An ion mirror decelerates and then accelerates ions so that ions of like mass and like charge exit the ion mirror in a reflected ion beam and reach an ion detector at substantially the same time. An ion detector is positioned in the path of the reflected ion beam so that a plane of constant ion flight time is substantially parallel to an input surface of the ion detector. The ion detector detects a time-of-flight of ions from the pulsed ion source to the ion detector that is substantially independent of a path traveled.