The invention “Ion Trap Array (ITA)” pertains generally to the field of ion storage and analysis technologies, and particularly to the ion storing apparatus and mass spectrometry instruments which separate ions by its character such as mass-to-charge ratio. The aim of this invention is providing an apparatus for ion storage and analysis comprising at least two or more rows of parallel placed electrode array wherein each electrode array includes at least two or more parallel bar-shaped electrodes, by applying different phase of alternating current voltages on different bar electrodes to create alternating electric fields inside the space between two parallel electrodes of different rows of electrode arrays, multiple linear ion trapping fields paralleled constructed in the space between the different rows of electrode arrays which are open to adjacent each other without a real barrier. This invention also provides a method for ion storage and analysis involving with the trapping, cooling and mass-selected analyzing of ions by this apparatus mentioned which constructs multiple conjoint linear ion trapping fields in the space between the different rows of electrode arrays.

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.

An instrument for separating ions may include an ion source configured to generate ions from a sample, at least one ion separation instrument configured to separate the generated ions as a function of at least one molecular characteristic and an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) positioned to receive ions exiting the at least one ion separation instrument. The ELIT has first and second ion mirrors separated by a charge detection cylinder, and is configured such that an ion trapped therein oscillates back and forth through the charge detection cylinder between the first and second ion mirrors with a duty cycle, corresponding to a ratio of time spent by the trapped ion traversing the charge detection cylinder and total time spent by the trapped ion traversing a combination of the first and second ion mirrors and the charge detection cylinder during one complete oscillation cycle, of approximately 50%.

The invention relates to hybrid IMS/MS systems and provides hybrid IMS/MS system comprising an RF funnel, an ion mobility analyzer and a mass analyzer wherein the RF funnel is arranged non-collinearly to the ion mobility analyzer, preferably a TIMS analyzer (TIMS=trapped ion mobility spectrometry).

A mass spectrometry imaging system includes an ionization source located at a first location configured to produce ions from a surface of a sample at the first location; a mass spectrometer located at a second location configured to perform mass spectrometry analysis by analyzing the produced ions based on mass to charge ratio of the ions; and an ion transfer device configured to transfer the ions from the first location to the second location such that the ion transfer device includes a plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electrodes configured to be flexible or flexibly connected to each other, and the ion transfer device is configured to be flexible or re-configurable while transferring the ions.

An instrument for analyzing ions may include an ion source to generate ions, at least one ion processing instrument to process the generated ions by one or both of filtering the ions according to a molecular characteristic and dissociating the ions, and an electrostatic linear ion trap (ELIT) to receive and trap ions exiting the at least one ion processing instrument. The ELIT has first and second ion mirrors separated by a charge detection cylinder, and is configured such that trapped ions oscillate back and forth through the charge detection cylinder between the first and second ion mirrors with a duty cycle, corresponding to a ratio of time spent by the trapped ions traversing the charge detection cylinder and total time spent by the trapped ions traversing a combination of the first and second ion mirrors and the charge detection cylinder during one complete oscillation cycle, of approximately 50%.

A mass spectrometric system comprises an RF-device for transversely confining ions in an ion region using: (a) a first set of electrodes arranged parallel to one another along a direction of ion travel to define a first transverse boundary of the ion region, and that are supplied with a first RF-voltage such that opposite phases of the first RF-voltage are applied to adjacent electrodes of the first set; and (b) a second set of electrodes arranged parallel to one another along said direction of ion travel to define a second transverse boundary of the ion region, and that are supplied with a second RF-voltage such that opposite phases of the second RF-voltage are applied to adjacent electrodes of the second set, the first and second transverse boundaries being opposite each other in a transverse direction of the ion region and the first and second RF voltages having different frequencies.

An electrostatic linear ion trap has first and second axially aligned ion mirrors separated by a charge detection cylinder axially aligned with each ion mirror. Electric fields are selectively established within the first and second ion mirrors in a manner which causes an ion in the trap to oscillate back and forth through the charge detection cylinder between the first and second ion mirrors with a duty cycle, corresponding to a ratio of time spent by the ion passing through the charge detection cylinder and total time spent traversing a combination of the first and second ion mirrors and the charge detection cylinder during one complete oscillation cycle, of approximately 50%.

A method for analyzing biological samples using mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry that includes producing gas-phase ions and neutrals from the sample in a proximity of the sample; transferring the produced ions from the sample to a distance via a flexible or re-configurable ion transfer device such that the flexible or re-configurable ion transfer device includes a plurality of electrodes configured to be flexible or flexibly connected to each other, and the ion transfer device is configured to be flexible while transferring the ions to allow the ion transfer device to form one or more curvatures; and separating the produced ions with a mass spectrometer or a mobility analyzer located at the distance to provide spectrometric results.

A method of separating ions is disclosed comprising: providing an ion separation device comprising a plurality of electrodes; providing a gas flow (5) so as to urge ions in a first direction along the device; applying voltages to said electrodes so that a plurality of travelling potentials (4) urge the ions in a second opposite direction; and varying at least one operational parameter of the travelling potentials (4) as a function of position along the device such that ions of different mobility or mass to charge ratio become trapped at different locations along the device.