Abstract:
A mass spectrometry apparatus, including a mass spectrometer and a sample plate. The mass spectrometer includes: a sample plate holder configured to hold a sample plate in an engaged position. The mass spectrometer is configured to perform a mass spectrometric analysis of a sample only when the sample is located on a sample plate that is held in the engaged position by the sample plate holder. The mass spectrometer includes one or more engagement features configured to engage with a sample plate so as to prevent the sample plate from being held in the engaged position by the sample plate holder unless the sample plate includes one or more engagement features configured to limit use of the sample plate to a specific analytical technique or a range of analytical techniques to be performed using the mass spectrometer. The sample plate is configured for use in the specific analytical technique or range of analytical techniques, wherein the sample plate includes the one or more engagement features configured to limit use of the sample plate to the specific analytical technique or range of analytical techniques.
Abstract:
A method of cleaning an ion source. The method includes: at a first reflective surface of a mirror, reflecting light that has a wavelength in a first wavelength band onto a surface of the ion source so that contaminant material is desorbed from the surface of the ion source; at a second reflective surface of the mirror, reflecting light that has a wavelength in a second wavelength band and that comes from the surface of the ion source towards an imaging apparatus for producing an image of the surface of the ion source, wherein the light that has a wavelength in the second wavelength band passes through the first reflective surface of the mirror before being reflected at the second reflective surface of the mirror.
Abstract:
The present invention is concerned with a method of preparing a MALDI sample, the method comprising the steps of: (a) mixing a solid sample precursor comprising sample and matrix to form a solid sample mixture; (b) applying the solid sample mixture to a sample cavity of a MALDI target; and (c) compressing the solid sample mixture in the sample cavity so as to form a MALDI sample surface for laser desorption. The present invention also provides a MALDI target comprising a sample cavity for receiving a MALDI sample, the sample cavity having (a) a desorption end portion comprising an aperture, such that a portion of the MALDI sample exposed at the aperture is in use subjected to laser desorption; and wherein the sample cavity also has (b) a compression end portion adapted to permit compression of a solid sample mixture towards the desorption end portion in the sample cavity by applying a compression force to the solid sample mixture via the compression end portion.
Abstract:
The present invention is concerned with methods and apparatuses for generating mass spectrum data using a mass spectrometer by subtracting noise mass spectrum data representative of noise in the mass spectrometer from signal mass spectrum data representative of the mass/charge ratio of ions in a sample material. This produces a modified signal mass spectrum data representative of the mass/charge ratio of ions in the sample material. The method includes acquiring and subtracting noise mass spectrum data representative of noise in the mass spectrometer or alternatively subtracting noise mass spectrum data from a previously acquired or pre-stored noise spectrum data. Embodiments demonstrate reduced noise and in particular reduced systematic noise compared with the originally acquired signal mass spectrum data.
Abstract:
The present invention is concerned with improving the focusing of ions having a particular mass to charge ratio by optimising the electric field for the focusing of ions having that particular mass to charge ratio. In particular, the stigmatic focusing of ions can be improved by adjusting a voltage applied to an ion-optical lens 50 for ions of different mass to charge ratios as those ions pass through the lens. In one embodiment, a digital to analogue converter 32 and amplifier 34 are AC coupled to a high voltage DC power supply unit 38 by high voltage capacitor 36. The digital to analogue converter 32 generates a low voltage wave form which is amplified by the amplifier 34 and then added to the output of the high voltage supply 38 so that the desired voltage waveform is generated and applied to ion-optical lens 50 as ions pass through the lens.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a mass spectrometer including an ion source for generating pre-cursor ions, ion fragmentation means for generating fragment ions from the pre-cursor ions, a reflectron for focusing the kinetic energy distribution of the ions, and an ion detector wherein the mass spectrometer also includes axial spatial distribution focusing means which in use acts on the ions after the ion fragmentation means and before the reflectron, the axial spatial distribution focusing means being operable to reduce the spatial distribution of the ions in the direction of the ion optical axis of the spectrometer. Suitably the axial spatial distribution focusing means comprising a cell with two electrodes 52, 54 which may be apertures or high transmission grids. A pulsed electrostatic field is generated by applying a high voltage pulse 60 to the first electrode 52 at the time when the pre-cursor ions of interest 56, 58 have just passed into the pulser 50. The second electrode 54 is maintained at 0V during this time.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a method of generating ions from a sample, the method comprising the steps of (1) designating a plurality of sample target sites, and (2) for each of said plurality of sample target sites, generating ions from a plurality of locations associated with the sample target site, wherein said plurality of locations are selected automatically with reference to the said sample target site. Each of the plurality of sample target sites is associated with a discrete sample region, wherein the sample is part of a MALDI ion source and the plurality of discrete sample regions comprise regions of matrix, suitably formed by chemical inkjet printing. The plurality of locations can be at least 5 and preferably at least 10 locations, each of which can be selected randomly or in accordance with a predetermined pattern. Ions generated from the plurality of locations associated with each of the sample target sites are assigned only a single set of sample position coordinates, which coordinates correspond to those of the sample target site. This averaging technique leads to improved data reliability.
Abstract:
The present invention provides an ion selector gate having a first deflection zone 32 and a second deflection zone 34 spaced from the first deflection zone, wherein in use, a single low voltage trigger pulse generated by timing electronics with a width in time equal to or proportional to the width of the gate pulse Tgd and at a position in time that the ion gate is required to be open to allow through ions of the correct nominal mass. The trigger pulse may go through an inverter 38 and then to two high voltage pulsers 40 and 42. The high voltage pulsers each produce simultaneously a signal that switches to ground and back on again from the same amplitude high voltage but the opposite polarity. The outputs of the high voltage pulsers are connected to interleaved wires of both ion gates 32, 34. Thus, the high voltage pulsers are applied simultaneously to both ion gates.
Abstract:
A mass spectrometry apparatus, including a mass spectrometer and a sample plate. The mass spectrometer includes: a sample plate holder configured to hold a sample plate in an engaged position. The mass spectrometer is configured to perform a mass spectrometric analysis of a sample only when the sample is located on a sample plate that is held in the engaged position by the sample plate holder. The mass spectrometer includes one or more engagement features configured to engage with a sample plate so as to prevent the sample plate from being held in the engaged position by the sample plate holder unless the sample plate includes one or more engagement features configured to limit use of the sample plate to a specific analytical technique or a range of analytical techniques to be performed using the mass spectrometer. The sample plate is configured for use in the specific analytical technique or range of analytical techniques, wherein the sample plate includes the one or more engagement features configured to limit use of the sample plate to the specific analytical technique or range of analytical techniques.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a timing device, especially a timing device for use in mass spectrometers, for example TOF mass spectrometers, for processing trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event, the timing device having: a trigger signal deserializer configured to receive trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event as serial data and to output the trigger signal data as parallel data, and wherein suitably the timing device has a processing means configured to process trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserializer as parallel data.