Ion trap with spatially extended ion trapping region

Abstract

A mass or mass to charge ratio selective ion trap is disclosed which directs ions into a small ejection region. A RF voltage acts to confine ions in a first (y) direction within the ion trap. A DC or RF voltage acts to confine ions in a second (x) direction. A quadratic DC potential well acts to confine ions in a third (z) direction within the ion trap. The profile of the quadratic DC potential well progressively varies along the second (x) direction.

Claims

1. An ion trapping or guiding device comprising: an array of electrodes comprising a first layer of electrodes and a second layer of electrodes, wherein said first and second layers of electrodes are spaced apart in a first (y) direction and are substantially parallel to each other and to a plane orthogonal to said first (y) direction and extending in a second (x) and a third (z) direction; and one or more voltage sources arranged and adapted to apply one or more voltages to said array of electrodes so as to generate a substantially quadratic DC potential that acts to confine ions within an ion trapping volume in said third (z) direction and a DC potential barrier or well which acts to confine ions within said ion trapping volume in said second (x) direction in order to confine ions substantially within said ion trapping volume wherein ions are fundamentally confined to a plane defined by said first (y) and said second (x) directions but expand to fill a substantially rectangular prism which is spatially elongated at least in the second (x) direction, wherein said first and second layers each comprise a plurality of segmented rod electrodes extending in the third (z) direction.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein ions are ejected or separated in the third (z) direction.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said ion trapping volume acts to substantially confine ions to a plane orthogonal to said third (z) direction.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein a dimension of said substantially rectangular prism in said second (x) direction is larger than a dimension in the first (y) direction.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the dimension of said substantially rectangular prism in said first (y) direction is larger than a dimension in the third (z) direction.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more voltage sources are arranged and adapted to apply one or more voltages so as to cause ions of a selected mass to charge ratio to move from a first region of said ion trapping volume to a second region of said ion trapping volume wherein ions are ejected, in use, from said second region.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said one or more voltage sources are arranged and adapted to apply one or more voltages for exciting ions within said second region in order to eject said ions from said second region.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more voltage sources are arranged and adapted to apply one or more RF voltages to generate a pseudo-potential barrier or well which acts to confine ions within said ion trapping volume in said first (y) direction.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the form of said substantially quadratic DC potential varies across or along the length of the device such that said substantially quadratic DC potential is steeper in a first region of said ion trapping volume and shallower in a second region of said ion trapping volume.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein, in use, ions are caused to move from said first regions into said second regions, wherein ions are ejected from said second regions.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more voltage sources are arranged and adapted to apply one or more RF voltages to generate one or more pseudo-potential barriers or wells which act to confine ions within said ion trapping volume in said second (x) direction.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more voltage sources are arranged and adapted to generate one or more DC potentials which act to create one or more ion transmission channels through the device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein said one or more voltages act to substantially confine ions between said first and second layers of electrodes within a plane orthogonal to said third (z) direction, and wherein the spatial extent of the ion trapping volume in the third (z) direction is determined at least in part by the kinetic energy and/or mutual repulsion between ions confined within the trapping volume.

14. A collision cell comprising as device as claimed in claim 1.

15. An ion trapping or guiding device comprising: an array of electrodes comprising a first layer of electrodes and a second layer of electrodes, where said first and second layers each comprise a plurality of segmented rod electrodes extending in a third (z) direction, where said first and second layers of electrodes are spaced apart in a first (y) direction and are substantially parallel to each other and to a plane orthogonal to said first (y) direction and extending in a second (x) and the third (z) direction, the plurality of segmented rod electrodes comprising at least three segmented rod electrodes; and one or more voltage sources arranged and adapted to apply one or more voltages to said array of electrodes so as to confine ions substantially within an ion trapping volume which is spatially elongated at least in the second (x) direction.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein said substantially rectangular prism is arranged substantially perpendicular to electrodes of the first layer of electrodes and the second layer of electrodes.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein said substantially rectangular prism is arranged substantially at a center location of the first layer of electrodes and the second layer of electrodes with respect to the third (z) direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Various embodiments of the present invention together with other arrangements given for illustrative purposes only will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1A shows the volume occupied by ions in theory in a 3D ion trap, FIG. 1B shows the volume occupied by ions in practice in a 3D trap, FIG. 1C shows the volume occupied by ions in theory in a 2D ion trap, FIG. 1D shows the volume occupied by ions in practice in a 2D ion trap, FIG. 1E shows the volume occupied by ions in theory in a 1D ion trap according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 1F shows the volume occupied by ions in practice in a 1D ion trap according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2A shows a known linear or 2D ion trap comprising a plurality of annular electrodes surrounding a quadrupole rod set, FIG. 2B shows a known linear or 2D ion trap comprising a quadrupole rod set with vane electrodes and FIG. 2C shows a known linear or 2D ion trap comprising a segmented quadrupole rod set;

(4) FIG. 3A shows an ion trap according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3B shows an end on view of the preferred ion trap and FIG. 3C shows a side view of the preferred ion trap;

(5) FIG. 4A shows how ions may be confined in the x-direction within the preferred ion trap by applying a DC voltage to end pairs of electrodes, FIG. 4B shows how ions may be confined in the x-direction within the preferred ion trap by applying a DC voltage to additional end plate electrodes and FIG. 4C shows how ions may by confined in the x-direction within the preferred ion trap by applying a RF voltage to additional rod electrodes;

(6) FIG. 5A shows how according to a preferred embodiment the DC potential applied to three groups of electrodes varies along the x-direction, FIG. 5B shows how the DC potential varies in the z-direction and FIG. 5C shows a 3D representation of the DC potential in the x-z plane;

(7) FIG. 6A shows a mode of operation wherein an ion channel is formed in the preferred ion trap and FIG. 6B shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein ions are mass to charge ratio selectively urged in the x-direction and are then mass to charge ratio selectively ejected from the ion trap in the z-direction;

(8) FIG. 7A shows the result of a SIMION? simulation modelling the ejection of ions from a preferred ion trap wherein the effects of space charge were not included and FIG. 7B shows the result of a SIMION? simulation when the effects of space charge were included;

(9) FIG. 8 shows an embodiment wherein the preferred ion trap is integrated with a Stacked Ring Ion Guide (SRIG) collision cell; and

(10) FIG. 9A shows an embodiment wherein a source of ions is followed by a preferred ion trap, a quadrupole and an ion detector, FIG. 9B shows an embodiment wherein a source of ions is followed by a quadrupole, a collision cell, a preferred ion trap, a further quadrupole and an ion detector, FIG. 9C shows an embodiment wherein a source of ions is followed by a preferred ion trap, a quadrupole, a collision cell, a further quadrupole and an ion detector and FIG. 9D shows an embodiment wherein a source of ions is followed by a preferred ion trap, a quadrupole, a collision cell and a Time of Flight mass analyser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(11) An ion trap according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3A. The ion trap consists of an extended three dimensional array of electrodes 301. According to an embodiment the electrodes comprise segmented rod electrodes.

(12) The ion trap can be considered as comprising two horizontal layers of electrodes. Ions are confined in the vertical (y) direction (i.e. between the two horizontal layers of electrodes) by applying an RF voltage to the electrodes. Ions are confined in the vertical (y) direction by a non-quadrupolar pseudo-potential.

(13) FIG. 3B shows an end on view of the segmented rod electrodes. According to the preferred embodiment all the segmented electrodes which conceptually form a rod are preferably maintained at the same phase of the RF voltage. Horizontally adjacent segmented rod electrodes are preferably maintained at opposite RF phases. Segmented rod electrodes in the upper layer are preferably maintained at the same RF phase as corresponding segmented rod electrodes in the lower layer.

(14) With reference to FIG. 3B, ion confinement in the x-z plane is preferably achieved by applying opposite phases of a RF voltage 303 to adjacent rows of electrodes in the x direction.

(15) FIG. 3C shows a side view of the electrode positions to aid in the visualisation of the entire structure.

(16) A quadratic DC potential is preferably maintained in the z-direction by applying a quadratic DC potential to the electrodes in the z-direction. As a result, ions are preferably confined in an ion volume 302 which is shown in FIG. 3A as a rectangular prism.

(17) Ions may initially enter the ion trap in the z-direction and then the quadratic DC potential may be applied to the electrodes in the z-direction. Alternatively, the quadratic DC potential may be applied to the electrodes in the z-direction and ions may enter the ion trap in the x-direction.

(18) With reference to FIGS. 4A-4C a number of different techniques may be used to confine ions axially within the ion trap in the x-direction.

(19) FIG. 4A shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein ions are confined axially within the ion trap in the x-direction by applying a supplemental DC potential 401 to the end or outermost pairs of electrodes in the y-z plane. According to this embodiment ions may enter the ion trap initially in either the x- or z-directions.

(20) FIG. 4B shows an alternative embodiment wherein a DC potential may be applied to additional end plate electrodes 402. According to this embodiment ions initially enter the ion trap via the z-direction. Once ions have entered the ion trap a quadratic potential is then preferably maintained in the z-direction.

(21) FIG. 4C shows another alternative embodiment wherein additional segmented or non-segmented rod set electrodes 403 are provided. The RF voltage applied to the segmented rod set electrodes 301 is also preferably applied to the additional electrodes 403 so that ions are confined axially in the x-direction within the ion trap by a pseudo-potential barrier or well. According to this embodiment ions initially enter the ion trap via the z-direction. Once ions have entered the ion trap a quadratic potential is then preferably maintained in the z-direction.

(22) According to a preferred embodiment a DC quadratic potential is preferably superimposed on the RF voltages applied to the electrodes in the z-direction such that a DC potential well is formed in the z-direction as shown in FIG. 3C. The DC quadratic potential may be applied to electrodes so that a quadratic potential well is maintained in the z-direction before or after ions have entered the ion trap.

(23) The form of the quadratic potential or DC potential well in the z-direction preferably varies across or along the length of the ion trap.

(24) An example of how the quadratic potential may vary across or along the length of the ion trap will now be described in further detail with reference to FIGS. 5A-C.

(25) FIG. 5A shows a plot of the applied potential along the three lines of electrodes labelled 304,305,306 in FIG. 3A wherein the three lines of electrodes have different displacements in the z-direction. It is apparent from FIG. 5A that the electrodes 304 arranged towards the centre of the ion trap have a low or zero potential gradient in the z-direction whereas the electrodes 306 arranged furthermost from the centre of the ion trap have a high potential gradient. The effect is to provide an electric field which funnels or directs ions towards the centre of the ion trap in the z-direction and which also directs ions towards one end of the ion trap having a displacement of zero in the x-direction. The magnitude of the electric field in the x-direction preferably varies with position in the z-direction, so that the electric field preferably causes ions to experience substantially different acceleration fields in the x-direction dependent upon the relative position of the ions in the z-direction.

(26) FIG. 5B shows a plot of the applied potential along the three lines of electrodes labelled 307,308,309 in FIG. 3A wherein the three lines of electrodes 307,308,309 have different displacements in the x-direction The electrodes 307 having a displacement closest to zero in the x-direction have a shallow quadratic potential maintained across them in the z-direction whereas the electrodes 309 arranged with the maximum displacement in the x-direction have a deep quadratic potential maintained across them in the z-direction.

(27) FIG. 5C shows a 3D plot of the applied potential to aid the visualisation of the applied potential.

(28) Embodiments of the present invention are contemplated wherein ions are mass or mass to charge ratio selectively ejected from the preferred ion trap in the z-direction in one direction only. In alternative embodiments, ions are mass or mass to charge ratio selectively ejected from the preferred ion trap in the x-direction only or in both the x-direction and in the z-direction. According to an embodiment the quadratic potential which is maintained in the z-direction may be asymmetric in the sense that a quadratic potential may be maintained across a majority of the electrodes but some of the electrodes on one side of the ion trap may be maintained at a constant potential. As a result, a quadratic potential may be maintained which is effectively truncated on one side of the potential well in the z-direction. It will be apparent, therefore, that the maximum potential on one side of the potential well may be greater than the maximum potential on the other side of the potential well.

(29) An ion trap according to the preferred embodiment may be used in several different modes of operation.

(30) In a mode of operation the ion trap may be used as an ion transmission device and/or as a collision cell. This may be achieved by applying appropriate DC potentials to the electrodes so that one or more ion transmission channels exist through which ions may pass. FIG. 6A shows an embodiment wherein the ion trap is operated as an ion guide and/or as a collision cell.

(31) FIG. 6B shows a preferred embodiment wherein ions are ejected from the ion trap in the z-direction. DC quadratic potentials are preferably applied to the electrodes in the z-direction in the manner as shown and described above in relation to FIG. 5.

(32) An AC or tickling voltage is preferably applied to the electrodes in order to resonantly excite the ions within the ion trap. Application of the AC or tickling voltage preferably causes ions to oscillate in the z-direction. The amplitude of oscillation of the ions in the z-direction is preferably dependent on the mass or mass to charge ratio of the ions. As discussed above, the electric field causes ions to experience substantially different acceleration fields in the x-direction dependent upon the relative position of the ions in the z-direction. Thus, the electric field urges ions in the x-direction with a force dependent on the amplitude of oscillation of the ions in the z-direction, which in turn depends on the mass or mass to charge ratio of the ions.

(33) Thus, the application of the AC or tickling voltage in combination with the electric field preferably results in ions being pushed in a mass to charge ratio dependent manner from within the bulk of the ion trap towards one region of the ion trap (i.e. towards the left hand side of the ion trap in the x-direction as shown in FIG. 6B). The ion trap is preferably arranged such that ions cannot be ejected from anywhere except from the specified ion ejection region. Ions are preferably confined in the z-direction by the DC quadratic potential well and the height of at least one side of the well decreases with position in the x-direction towards the ejection region such that ions having an amplitude of oscillation in the z-direction are confined by the ion trap in a region away from the ejection region in the x-direction, whereas ions in the ejection region having the same amplitude of oscillation in the z-direction are able to surmount the DC potential well and are ejected from the ion trap. Ions ejected from the ion trap may be detected directly or else may be passed to further RF devices and/or mass analysers for further processing or detection.

(34) The preferred ion trap has been modelled using the ion optical modelling package SIMION?. FIG. 7A shows a plot of the ejection time of ions from the preferred ion trap for three groups of ions which were modelled as having mass to charge ratios of 400, 450 and 500 Da. Space charge effects were neglected in this instance. It is apparent that ions having a mass to charge ratios of 400 were initially ejected, followed by ions having a mass to charge ratio of 450 followed by ions having a mass to charge ratio of 500.

(35) Identical simulations were also performed wherein approximately 1?10.sup.6 charges were included within the ion trap to ascertain the effect of a very large space charge within the ion trap. By way of comparison it is known that the performance of conventional 3D ion traps becomes degraded when the number of charges within the ion trap is of the order of 1?10.sup.3. The equivalent number for 2D or linear traps has previously been determined to be of the order of 5?10.sup.4.

(36) FIG. 7B shows the ejection times for the SIMION? simulations where space charge effects were included. Neither the peak ejection times nor the peak widths (and hence the resolution of the ion trap) were unduly affected due to the presence of such a large amount of space charge.

(37) Accordingly, as will be apparent from comparing FIGS. 7A and 7B, the preferred ion trap having an extended ion confinement volume is particularly advantageous compared to conventional 2D and 3D ion traps.

(38) FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention wherein a preferred ion trap is integrated with a Stacked Ring Ion Guide (SRIG) collision cell. The stacked ring ion guide preferably contains argon gas for good fragmentation efficiency whereas the preferred ion trap preferably contains helium gas for good ejection efficiency. The collision cell and ion trap may be used in tandem as a single ion transmission and/or collision cell.

(39) Alternatively, the collision cell and ion trap may be used separately i.e. the collision cell may be used to fragment and/or accumulate ions and the ion trap may be used to hold and eject ions accumulated in the stacked ring ion guide.

(40) FIGS. 9A-D show examples of instrument geometries according to various embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there are many more potential configurations beyond these examples.

(41) FIG. 9A shows an embodiment wherein a source of ions is followed by an ion trap according to the preferred embodiment followed by a quadrupole followed by an ion detector.

(42) FIG. 9B shows an embodiment comprising a source of ions followed by a quadrupole, followed by a collision cell, followed by an ion trap according to the preferred embodiment, followed by a second quadrupole and an ion detector.

(43) FIG. 9C shows an embodiment comprising a source of ions followed by an ion trap according to a preferred embodiment, followed by a quadrupole, followed by a collision cell, followed by a second quadrupole and an ion detector.

(44) FIG. 9D shows an embodiment comprising a source of ions followed by an ion trap according to a preferred embodiment, followed by a quadrupole, followed by a collision cell and a Time of Flight mass analyser.

(45) It will be apparent that various modifications may be made to the particular embodiments discussed above without departing from the scope of the invention.

(46) For example, embodiments are contemplated wherein the electrodes comprising the ion trap may comprise electrodes which are not rod shaped. For example, the electrodes may comprise a plurality of stacked plate electrodes, a plurality of stacked ring electrodes, a plurality of half ring electrodes of a plurality of C-shaped electrodes.

(47) According to a less preferred embodiment the applied DC potential may be non-quadratic.

(48) According to an embodiment, the DC potential well may be deeper on one side of the ion trap than on the other side of the ion trap. As a result, ions are preferably ejected in one direction rather than being ejected in two directions.

(49) According to an embodiment, the direction of exit of ions from the ion trap may be changed by changing the depth of the DC well appropriately such that all or a selection of ions preferably exit one way or all or a selection of ions preferably exit the other way.

(50) According to an embodiment, the ion trap may be operated in a linked scanning mode of operation with the mass to charge ratio ejection of ions from the DC well linked with the m/z scan of an adjacent mass analyser.

(51) According to an embodiment, there may be more than one ejection region.

(52) According to an embodiment, ions may be injected in one place and either ejected from the same location or from another spatially distinct region.

(53) According to an embodiment more than one ion compression region may be provided i.e. ions may be stored in wings and then moved in an mass to charge ratio manner into a central ejection region.

(54) Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.