Importance

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Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for analyzing ions including an ion accelerator and one or more reflectrons positioned with respect to one another such that ions can be reflected back and forth between therebetween. The ion accelerator acts both to provide the initial acceleration of ions received from an ion source and to reflect these ions in the subsequent mass analysis. The reflectrons act only reflect ions in such a manner that all ions of a given mass-to-charge ratio have substantially the same flight time through the analyzer. During ion analysis, ions are reflected back and forth between the accelerator and the reflectrons multiple times, until, at the conclusion of the ion analysis, the accelerator is rapidly deenergized so as to allow the ions to pass through the accelerator and into a detector. Alternatively, the ions may be deflected into a detector using electrostatic deflection plates or may pass through one of the reflectrons into a detector by deenergizing one of the reflectrons. By reflecting the analyte ions back and forth between the accelerator and the reflectron many times, a much longer flight path can be achieved than previously used according to the prior art. Consequently, the mass resolving power of the spectrometer disclosed can be substantially greater than could otherwise be achieved.

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First Claim