US 12,191,130 B2
Charge detection mass spectrometry
Keith Richardson, High Peak (GB); Jeffery Mark Brown, Hyde (GB); and David J. Langridge, Bollington (GB)
Assigned to Micromass UK Limited, Wilmslow (GB)
Filed by Micromass UK Limited, Wilmslow (GB)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/495,237.
Application 18/495,237 is a continuation of application No. 17/745,513, filed on May 16, 2022, granted, now 11,837,452.
Application 17/745,513 is a continuation of application No. 16/971,958, granted, now 11,367,602, issued on Jun. 21, 2022, previously published as PCT/GB2019/050494, filed on Feb. 22, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1802917 (GB), filed on Feb. 22, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0063008 A1, Feb. 22, 2024
Int. Cl. H01J 49/00 (2006.01); H01J 49/06 (2006.01); H01J 49/42 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 49/0036 (2013.01) [H01J 49/067 (2013.01); H01J 49/4265 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ion beam attenuating apparatus comprising:
a first ion beam attenuator that is operable in either a high ion transmission mode or a low ion transmission mode in order to selectively attenuate an ion beam, wherein the output of the first ion beam attenuator is passed through a first gas-filled region;
a second ion beam attenuator that is operable in either a high ion transmission mode or a low ion transmission mode in order to selectively attenuate an ion beam; and
control circuitry that is configured to:
repeatedly switch the first ion beam attenuator between the high and low ion transmission modes to generate a first non-continuous ion beam at the output of the first ion beam attenuator, wherein the first non-continuous ion beam is passed through the gas-filled region and converted into a substantially continuous ion beam thereby before arriving at the second ion beam attenuator; and
repeatedly switch the second ion beam attenuator between the high and low ion transmission modes to generate a second non-continuous ion beam at the output of the second ion beam attenuator.