US 12,002,672 B2
Apparatus and methods for reduced neutral contamination in a mass spectrometer
Bruce Collings, Bradford (CA); and Pascal Martin, Woodbridge (CA)
Assigned to DH Technologies Development Pte. Ltd., Singapore (SG)
Appl. No. 16/630,007
Filed by DH Technologies Development Pte. Ltd., Singapore (SG)
PCT Filed Jun. 29, 2018, PCT No. PCT/IB2018/054874
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/012367, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 17, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/531,180, filed on Jul. 11, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0090870 A1, Mar. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. H01J 49/00 (2006.01); H01J 49/06 (2006.01); H01J 49/42 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 49/067 (2013.01) [H01J 49/0031 (2013.01); H01J 49/4225 (2013.01); H01J 49/426 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Apparatus for reducing contamination in a mass spectrometer comprising:
an ionization chamber for generating a beam of ions;
an ion guide having a plurality of rods arranged in a multipole configuration and spaced from one another to provide a channel through which an ion stream comprising ions generated in the ionization chamber can be transmitted to one or more downstream mass analyzers, the ion guide channel comprising a guide inlet aperture in communication with said ionization chamber and a guide exit aperture for passing ions to said downstream mass analyzers,
a power supply for providing voltage to one or more of said plurality of rods for confining the ions within an internal volume of the ion guide channel;
a curtain gas inlet for introducing an internal curtain gas into the ion guide channel at a volumetric flow rate of at least 0.1 standard liter per minute (slpm) flowing in a contra flow direction to the ion stream, such that the internal curtain gas flow facilitates removal of neutral molecules from the ion stream.