ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ION LENS FOR GENERATING A LARGER AND MORE STABLE ION FLUX

摘要

An ion lens is used to focus ions produced by various types of ion sources which are substantially at atmospheric pressure. The ions are focused to the inlet of a downstream mass spectrometer or other devices which require a larger and more stable ion flux for improved performance. The ion lens is mounted in close proximity to the sprayer tip. The ion lens increases the total ion count rate summed over all of the generated ions. The ion lens may also be employed to vary the degree of ion fragmentation and the charge state pattern of the generated ions. The ion lens may also result in a more stable ion signal. Furthermore, more than one ion lens may be used. This invention may also be extended to multisprayer ion sources.