A quadrupole mass spectrometer includes: a quadrupole mass filter with four rod electrodes arranged so as to surround a central axis; and a magnet that forms a magnetic field in at least a part of an inside of the quadrupole mass filter in a direction intersecting the central axis.

A method of mass spectral analysis in an analytical electrostatic trap (14) is disclosed. The electrostatic trap (14) defines an electrostatic field volume and includes trap electrodes having static and non-ramped potentials. The method comprises injecting a continuous ion beam into the electrostatic field volume.

A monolithic electrode includes a first portion devoid of apertures and a second portion surrounded by the first portion, the second portion having a web defining a plurality of apertures. A method for forming an electrode includes forming a first electrode portion devoid of apertures and forming a second electrode portion having a web defining a plurality of apertures. The web of the second electrode portion connects to the first electrode portion.

Certain embodiments described herein are directed to rod assemblies such as, for example, quadrupole, hexapole and octupole rod assemblies. In some instances, the rod assemblies include at least one pole comprising an integral fluid path configured to fluidically couple an ion volume formed by the assembly to an outer volume of the assembly to remove fluid within the ion volume to the outer volume while containing ions of a selected mass-to-charge range.

A miniature electrode apparatus is disclosed for trapping charged particles, the apparatus including, along a longitudinal direction: a first end cap electrode; a central electrode having an aperture; and a second end cap electrode. The aperture is elongated in the lateral plane and extends through the central electrode along the longitudinal direction and the central electrode surrounds the aperture in a lateral plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to define a transverse cavity for trapping charged particles.

A mass spectrometer is provided having an ion source for generating ions from a sample in a high pressure region, a first vacuum chamber having an inlet aperture, and an exit aperture. The at least one ion guide can be between the inlet and exit apertures and can include an entrance end and an exit end. The at least one ion guide can have a plurality of electrodes arranged around a central axis defining an ion channel, each of the plurality of electrodes being tapered, a planar surface of each of the plurality of tapered electrodes facing the interior of the at least one ion guide, and the surface gradually being narrowed and tilted inward to provide a smaller inscribed radius at the exit; and a power supply for providing an RF voltage to the at least one ion guide.

An RF voltage is applied across each electrode of a first array of evenly spaced, parallel, and coplanar electrodes and its corresponding electrode of a second array of evenly spaced, parallel, and coplanar electrodes. The RF voltage varies in amplitude according to an RF voltage amplitude gradient. The RF voltage produces an array of different quadrupole RF electric fields in a uniform gap between the first array and the second array. A DC voltage is superimposed on each electrode of the first array and its corresponding electrode of the second array. The DC voltage varies according to a DC voltage gradient in order to produce a DC electric field in the uniform gap. When ions are introduced in the uniform gap, the DC electric field causes the ions to drift toward quadrupole RF electric fields with increasing RF voltage amplitudes where the ions are trapped according to their m/z.

An apparatus for separating ions includes an electrode arrangement having a length extending between first and second ends. The first end is configured to introduce a beam of ions into an ion transmission space of the arrangement. An electronic controller applies an RF potential and a DC potential to an electrode of the electrode arrangement, for generating a ponderomotive RF electric field and a mass-independent DC electric field. The application of the potentials is controlled such that a ratio of the strength of the ponderomotive RF electric field to the strength of the mass-independent DC electric field varies along the length of the electrode arrangement. The generated electric field supports extraction of ions having different m/z values at respective different positions along the length of the electrode arrangement. Ions are extracted in one of increasing and decreasing sequential order of m/z ratio with increasing distance from the first end.

A first multipole assembly includes a first plurality of rod electrodes arranged about an axis and configured to confine ions radially about the axis. A second multipole assembly disposed adjacent to the first multipole assembly includes a second plurality of rod electrodes arranged about the axis and configured to confine the ions radially about the axis. An orientation of the first multipole assembly about the axis is rotationally offset relative to an orientation of the second multipole assembly about the axis.

A first multipole assembly includes a first plurality of rod electrodes arranged about an axis and configured to confine ions radially about the axis. A second multipole assembly disposed adjacent to the first multipole assembly includes a second plurality of rod electrodes arranged about the axis and configured to confine the ions radially about the axis. An orientation of the first multipole assembly about the axis is rotationally offset relative to an orientation of the second multipole assembly about the axis.