A calibration apparatus for a mass analyzer includes an ion source device and a dual-purpose electron beam generating unit. The ion source device ionizes an analyte of a sample, producing analyte ions. The dual-purpose electron beam generating unit is positioned between the ion source device and the mass analyzer. In a first mode, the dual-purpose electron beam generating unit is used to create fragments of analyte ions of unknown mass-to-charge ratio. In a second mode, the dual-purpose electron beam generating unit is used to create ions of calibration compounds of known mass-to-charge ratio. All ions are subsequently transferred to the mass analyzer.

A plasma processing system includes a plasma chamber configured to contain a plasma, a shutter chamber fluidically coupled to the plasma chamber via a first orifice, a mass spectrometer fluidically coupled to the shutter chamber, and a shutter disposed in the shutter chamber between the first orifice and the mass spectrometer in the path of a particle beam. The first orifice is configured to generate the particle beam from the plasma using a pressure differential between the shutter chamber and the plasma chamber. The mass spectrometer includes an ionizer configured to ionize species of the particle beam by sweeping through a range of electron energies in a plurality of energy steps. The shutter is configured to open and close during each of the plurality of energy steps.

An ion source assembly is described that includes an electron source configured to inject electrons into an ion volume to ionize an atom or molecule in the ion volume, wherein the electron source includes a filament. A lens electrode is positioned adjacent the electron source and includes an opening configured to pass electrons therethrough from the electron source into the ion volume. A supply voltage source is coupled to the filament and configured to supply a first voltage to the filament, wherein the first voltage is operable to ionize the molecules in the ion volume. Further, a bias voltage source is coupled to the supply voltage source and configured to supply a bias voltage to the lens electrode. Electrons striking the lens electrode are thereafter returned to the filament.

A miniature, low cost mass spectrometer capable of unit resolution over a mass range of 10 to 50 AMU. The mass spectrometer incorporates several features that enhance the performance of the design over comparable instruments. An efficient ion source enables relatively low power consumption without sacrificing measurement resolution. Variable geometry mechanical filters allow for variable resolution. An onboard ion pump removes the need for an external pumping source. A magnet and magnetic yoke produce magnetic field regions with different flux densities to run the ion pump and a magnetic sector mass analyzer. An onboard digital controller and power conversion circuit inside the vacuum chamber allows a large degree of flexibility over the operation of the mass spectrometer while eliminating the need for high-voltage electrical feedthroughs. The miniature mass spectrometer senses fractions of a percentage of inlet gas and returns mass spectra data to a computer.

An analyzer apparatus (1) includes: an ionization unit (11) that ionizes molecules to analyze; a filter unit (13) that forms a field for selectively passing ions generated by the ionization unit; a detector unit (14) that detects ions that have passed through the filter unit; an ion drive circuitry (61) that electrically drives the ionization unit; a field drive circuitry (62) that electrically drives the filter unit; and a control unit (22) that controls outputs of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry, wherein the control unit controls the ion drive circuitry to ramp up and down a filament voltage supplied to a filament of the ionization unit when the analyzer apparatus starts and stops.

A mass spectrometer system (10) is provided in which the voltage controller (12) can have separate first and second high-voltage control circuits (34, 40) which are physically disconnected from and at different ground planes to one another. Communication between the first and second high-voltage control circuits (34, 40) is enabled via an interface circuit (30) and one or more wireless, preferably radio-frequency, communicators (38, 44, 46, 48).

An inner source assembly for a mass spectrometer, the assembly comprising: a base; and a volume housing removably connectable to the base for retaining a repeller assembly therebetween, wherein one of the base and volume housing comprises at least two protrusions and the other of the volume housing and base comprises at least two corresponding slots to receive and retain said protrusions, wherein the protrusions are dissimilar to one another and/or the slots are dissimilar to one another.

After a precursor ion has been captured within an ion trap (2), electrons having a high energy equal to or higher than 30 eV are introduced from an electron irradiator (7) into the ion trap (2) to increase the number of charges of the ion through an interaction between the electrons and the ion. Hydrogen radicals are subsequently introduced from a hydrogen radical irradiator (5) into the ion trap (2) to dissociate the ion by a hydrogen-attachment dissociation (HAD) method. The larger the number of charges of the ion is, the higher the dissociation efficiency by the HAD method becomes. Therefore, for example, even in the case of using an ion source in which most of the generated ions are singly charged ions as in a MALDI ion source, the dissociation efficiency can be improved by increasing the number of charges of the precursor ion within the ion trap (2).

An ion source can include a magnetic field generator configured to generate a magnetic field in a direction parallel to a direction of the electron beam and coincident with the electron beam. However, this magnetic field can also influence the path of ionized sample constituents as they pass through and exit the ion source. An ion source can include an electric field generator to compensate for this effect. As an example, the electric field generator can be configured to generate an electric field within the ion source chamber, such that an additional force is imparted on the ionized sample constituents, opposite in direction and substantially equal in magnitude to the force imparted on the ionized sample constituents by the magnetic field.

A method and system for measuring an inert gas by an ion probe. Embedding a to-be-measured sample into an epoxy resin, to obtain a sample target, where the to-be-measured sample includes an inert gas atom; after putting the obtained sample target into an analysis chamber of the ion probe, vacuumizing the analysis chamber, where the ion probe includes a primary ion source, an electron gun, a mass analyzer, and an ion detector; bombarding the sample target by using a primary ion beam formed by the primary ion source to release the inert gas atom in the sample target; ionizing the released inert gas atom by using an electron beam formed by the electron gun to form an inert gas ion; and analyzing a secondary ion containing the inert gas ion by using the mass analyzer and the ion detector to achieve measurement of the inert gas.