VARIABLE WIDTH DIGITAL FILTER FOR TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS SPECTROMETRY

摘要

A method and system of detecting mass to charge ratio of ions. The method includes producing charged ions in a vacuum, accelerating the charged ions i n an electric field into a free flight tube and detecting the charged ions at a detector associated with the free flight tube. A control system selects a bandwidth for filtering a signal produced by the detector and the signal produced by the detector is then filtered with a variable width digital filt er based upon the selected bandwidth. The bandwidth for filtering the signal ma y be selected from a look-up table within the control system based upon the ma ss to charge ratio of an ion of interest. Alternatively, a peak bandwidth withi n the signal produced by the detector may be determined and the signal produce d by the detector may then be filtered with the variable width digital filter based upon the determined peak bandwidth.