Areas having different isotopic ratios are artificially introduced into a metal material before sintering, a heat treatment, or Grain boundary diffusion, and atom probe analysis results before and after sintering, a heat treatment, or grain boundary diffusion are compared to evaluate a change in isotopic distribution over time.

The invention relates to methods and instruments for combined separation of ions according to mobility and mass to charge ratio. The mass spectrometric system comprises an ion source, a mobility separator and a mass analyzer wherein the mobility separator comprises (i) a gas filled drift region with a substantially constant electric DC field or a traveling electric field and (ii) an ion storage located adjacent to the entrance or inside the drift region. The ion storage comprises an electric field gradient and a gas flow wherein the electric field gradient and gas flow provide opposing forces on ions in the ion storage such that they are trapped at mobility dependent positions inside the ion storage.

An analysis operator checks an optical microscopic image obtained with an imaging mass microscope and indicates a color characteristic of an area which the analysis operator is focusing on. An optical microscopic image feature extractor calculates luminance distribution data in the indicated color. An image position adjustment processor performs a position adjustment process on a luminance distribution image derived from the optical microscopic image and an MS imaging graphic, while a resolution adjuster equalizes their spatial resolutions. A statistical analysis processor calculates a coefficient of spatial correlation between the luminance distribution image and the MS imaging graphic for each mass-to-charge ratio. Based on the calculated correlation coefficients, an analysis result display processor extracts a mass-to-charge ratio which shows an ion intensity distribution similar to the luminance distribution image. and displays it on a display unit.

According to some embodiments, systems and methods for rapid evaporation of liquid phase samples are provided. The method includes directing liquid samples to a thermal evaporation ionizing device, thermally evaporating the liquid samples to create gaseous molecular ions, and directing the gaseous molecular ions to an ion analyzer to analyze and provide information regarding the chemical composition of the liquid samples.

Provided are a method and a device that can measure sputtered particles discharged by sputtering with high precision within a short time. A measuring device has a measuring section that measures a ratio between an equivalent value of the number of ion particles discharged from a target by sputtering caused by a pulsed electric discharge and an equivalent value of the number of neutral particles discharged from the target by the pulsed electric discharge. The ratio between the number of the ion particles and the number of the neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering can be regarded as one of factors affecting quality of a vapor-deposited film, a film growth rate and an etching rate. Thus, a factor affecting the quality of the vapor-deposited film, the film growth rate and the etching rate can be grasped and also controlled.

A dual source ionizer is provided. The dual source ionizer includes a first photoionization source configured to emit low flux ultraviolet (UV) light to generate primarily NO.sub.3.sup.− ions, and a second photoionization source configured to emit high flux UV light to generate primarily ions other than NO.sub.3.sup.− ions.

An ion source is disclosed that alternates between ionizing analytes in a sample by electrospray ionization and impact ionization.

An ion mobility separator includes an ion path with a central axis along which ions travel, the ion path containing a gas. A first force is applied to the ions in a first axial direction, and a second force that varies spatially along the ion path is applied to the ions in second axial direction opposite the first axial direction. A rotating confinement field has a radially-inhomogeneous electric potential with relative maxima and minima that rotate about the central axis as a function of time, the confinement field exerting a radial confinement force on the ions in a radial direction toward the central axis. The ion mobility separator may be operated at elevated pressures including ambient pressure and higher. The first and/or second axial forces may be a constant or gradient gas flow, a constant or gradient electric field or an axial component of the rotating confinement field.

A hybrid ion mobility spectrometer includes a single-pass drift tube having an ion inlet and an ion outlet, a multiple-pass drift tube having an ion inlet and an ion outlet each coupled to the single pass drift tube between the ion inlet and the ion outlet thereof, and at least one ion steering channel controllable to selectively pass ions traveling through the single-pass drift tube into the multiple-pass drift tube via the ion inlet of the multiple-pass drift tube and to selectively pass ions traveling through the multiple-pass drift tube into the single-pass drift tube via the ion outlet of the multiple-pass drift tube. The single-pass drift tube separates in time ions traveling therethrough according to a first function of ion mobility, and the multiple-pass drift tube separates in time ions traveling one or more times therethrough according to the first or a second function of ion mobility.

A filtration system includes a frame directing a fluid flow through the filtration system. An ionization array is located in the frame and has an ionizer current flowing therethrough. The system further includes a media filter having a plurality of media fibers arranged to capture particles flowing therethrough and a conductive surface located at the media filter and having a filter current flowing therethrough. A comparator is utilized to determine a difference between the ionizer current and the filter current, and compare that difference to a predetermined range.