US 11,756,781 B2
Apparatus for delivering reagent ions to a mass spectrometer
Christopher Mullen, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by Thermo Finnigan LLC, San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/221,075.
Application 17/221,075 is a division of application No. 16/032,723, filed on Jul. 11, 2018, granted, now 10,971,348.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/531,104, filed on Jul. 11, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0225632 A1, Jul. 22, 2021
Int. Cl. H01J 49/10 (2006.01); H01J 49/04 (2006.01); H01J 49/26 (2006.01); H01J 49/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 49/107 (2013.01) [H01J 49/0072 (2013.01); H01J 49/0468 (2013.01); H01J 49/0495 (2013.01); H01J 49/26 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of delivering reagent ions to a mass spectrometer, comprising steps of:
providing a first flow of carrier gas to a reservoir of a first reagent material to produce a flow of entrained first reagent vapor;
directing the entrained first reagent vapor flow to a first inlet of a mixing junction through a first flow restrictor;
providing a second flow of carrier gas to a second inlet of the mixing junction via a first variable pressure regulator and a second flow restrictor;
combining the entrained reagent vapor flow and the second carrier gas flow in the mixing junction;
directing the combined gas flow to a first inlet of a reagent transfer junction through a third flow restrictor;
transporting the combined gas flow from an outlet of the reagent transfer junction to an ionizer; and
controlling an output pressure of the first variable pressure regulator to produce a desired flow rate of first reagent vapor to the ionizer.