HYBRID MASS SPECTROMETRY APPARATUS

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a mass spectrometry apparatus for analyzing an analyte sample, which comprises: an ion source from which a quantity of analyte ions from the analyte sample may be sourced for providing an ion beam; a mass analyzer serving to filter the analyte ions of the ion beam based on their mass-to-charge ratio; a first detector unit for analyzing the ions of the ion beam; and a second detector unit being based on the time-of-flight principle and comprising a second detector for analyzing the ions of the ion beam. The present disclosure further includes a method for analyzing an analyte sample using a mass spectrometry apparatus according to the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A mass spectrometry apparatus for analyzing an analyte sample, the mass spectrometry apparatus comprising: an ion source configured to generate a quantity of ions from the analyte sample as to provide an ion beam; a mass analyzer configured to filter the ions of the ion beam based on mass-to-charge ratio of the ions; a first detector unit configured to analyze the ions of the ion beam; and a second detector unit configured to operate on the time-of-flight principle and comprising a second detector configured to analyze the ions of the ion beam.

2. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first detector unit includes a quadrupole detector.

3. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second detector is a quadrupole detector.

4. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mass analyzer is a quadrupole mass analyzer.

5. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least two mass analyzers.

6. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first detector unit is arranged parallel to a first plane and the second detector unit is arranged parallel to a second plane, the first and second planes having a predefined angle relative to each other, and wherein the mass spectrometry apparatus is configured to guide the ion beam received from the mass analyzer to the first detector unit or the second detector unit.

7. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a first guiding optics arranged and/or configured as to direct the ion beam received from the mass analyzer in a first flow direction parallel to the first plane and/or in a second flow direction parallel to the second plane.

8. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first guiding optics comprises at least one electrode and/or a lens arrangement or an ion mirror.

9. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 7, wherein the mass spectrometry apparatus further comprises a switching means configured to switch at least one component of the first guiding optics between a first state, in which the ion beam is directed into the first flow direction, and a second state, in which the ion beam is directed into the second flow direction.

10. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first guiding optics is arranged between the mass analyzer, the first detector unit and the second detector unit.

11. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first plane is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the mass analyzer.

12. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first plane and the second plane are orthogonal to each other.

13. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a collisional cell arranged between the mass analyzer, the first detector unit and second detector unit.

14. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second guiding optics arranged as to divert the ion beam from the ion source flowing along a first initial flow direction to flow along to a second initial flow direction, wherein the initial first direction and second initial flow direction are orthogonal to each other as to minimize an effective footprint of the mass spectrometry apparatus.

15. The mass spectrometry apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second guiding optics arranged as to divert the ion beam from the ion source flowing along a first initial flow direction to flow along to a second initial flow direction, wherein the initial first direction and second initial flow direction are antiparallel to each other as to minimize an effective footprint of the mass spectrometry apparatus.

16. A method for analyzing an analyte sample using the mass spectrometry apparatus according to claim 1, the method comprising: recording a first mass spectrum with the first detector unit; recording a second mass spectrum with the second detector unit; and analyzing the first mass spectrum and second mass spectrum.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the analyzing of the first and second mass spectra includes combining the first and second mass spectra.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The present disclosure as well as its preferred embodiments will be further explained based on the figures, which include:

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a conventional quadrupole mass spectrometry device;

[0040] FIGS. 2a and 2b show different embodiments of an apparatus according to the present disclosure for which the first and second flow direction are orthogonal to each other; and

[0041] FIGS. 3a and 3b show different embodiments of an apparatus according to the present disclosure for which the first and second flow direction are antiparallel to each other.

[0042] In the figures, same elements are provided with the same reference numbers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In FIG. 1, a conventional quadrupole based mass spectrometry apparatus 100 for analyzing an analyte sample is shown. The apparatus 100 comprises an ion source 1 from which a quantity of analyte ions from the analyte sample may be sourced for providing an initial ion beam 7. The apparatus 100 further comprises an interface arrangement for transferring the analyte sample into the analyzing part of the mass spectrometry device 1 including a sampling cone 2 and a skimmer cone 3. The skimmer cone has a skimmer cone body 4 and a passage 5 used for introducing the substance or mixture may, e.g., be such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,329,863 B2 and 7,119,330 B2. However, the presence of a passage 5 is optional and with no means necessary to realize the idea underlying the present disclosure.

[0044] The device 100 also includes at least one second guiding optics 6 arranged so as to divert the ion beam 7 provided by the ion source 1 flowing along a first initial flow direction if.sub.1 to flow along to a second initial flow direction if.sub.2. The two initial flow directions if.sub.1, if.sub.2 for the present embodiment are exemplarily orthogonal to each other, whereas the second initial flow direction if.sub.2 is parallel to a longitudinal axis L of the mass analyzer 9, which here is embodied in the form of a quadrupole mass analyzer. Prior to mass analyzer 9, a brubaker prefilter 8 is arranged which guides the ion beam 11 into the mass analyzer 9. A detector unit 10 in the form of a quadrupole detector is arranged in an end region of the mass analyzer 9.

[0045] On its way towards the detector unit 10, the ion beam 7, 11 passes through different vacuum stages 16, 17,18, and in case of FIGS. 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b, also 19.

[0046] The present disclosure now provides a mass spectrometry apparatus 100 in which two separate and independently and interleaved detector units A and B are combined. Without reducing the scope of protection to the specific embodiments included in the figures, the following figures relate to the case of a first detector unit A comprising a quadrupole detector 10 and a second detector unit B comprising a TOF detector 15, allowing to either perform a quadrupole or TOF based detection or both in a quasi-parallel manner. Mass analyzer 9 is exemplarily embodied in the form of a quadrupole mass analyzer preceded by a brubaker pre-filter 8, similar as in case of FIG. 1.

[0047] FIGS. 2a and 2b relate to embodiments for which the first A and second detector units B are arranged orthogonal to each other. The first detector unit A comprises a quadrupole detector 10 similar as in case of FIG. 1. The second detector unit B comprises an arrangement of push/pull-electrodes 13 to guide the ion beam 11, a TOF mass-analyzer 14 defining a reflection section and a TOF detector 15, which also can, e.g., be embodied in the form of a quadrupole detector, resulting in a second detector unit B in the form of a Q/TOF detector unit.

[0048] The first detector unit A is arranged parallel to a first plane E.sub.1 and the second detector unit B is arranged parallel to a second plane E.sub.2, the first and the second plane E.sub.1, E.sub.2 being orthogonal to each other. The first plane E.sub.1 is parallel to the first initial flow direction if.sub.1 and the longitudinal axis of mass analyzer 8.

[0049] For the embodiment shown in FIG. 2a, the apparatus 100 further comprises a first guiding optics C which comprises an electrode 12, serving to guide the ion beam 11 either in the first f.sub.1 or second flow direction f.sub.2. Such guiding optics c is not necessary for the present disclosure. Instead, a guidance of the ion beam 11 towards the first A and/or second detector unit B can also be achieved by other components of the apparatus 100, e.g., components of the first A and second detector unit B, as e.g., the push/pull-electrodes 13 shown in FIG. 2a. On the other hand, the guiding optics C can also comprise a multitude of different electron and/or lenses or also at least one ion mirror.

[0050] In contrast to FIG. 2a, the apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2b comprises one mass analyzer 9, equivalent to the case of FIG. 1 or 2a, and an additional mass analyzer 26 arranged between the first mass analyzer 9 and the first detector 10. The ion beam 11 received from the first mass analyzer 9 passes a guiding optics C further including a first ion optics 25 to inject the ion beam 11 into region 29. From region 29, especially a push/pull region, the ions are either transferred into the second mass filter 26 as ion beam 27 being detected by the first detector unit A, or into the second detector unit B comprising the TOF mass analyzer 14 as ion beam 28.

[0051] FIGS. 3a and 3b relate to embodiments of the apparatus 100 according to the present disclosure for which the first f.sub.1 and second flow direction f.sub.2 are antiparallel to each other. In addition to the devices 100 shown in FIGS. 1, 2a and 2b, the device 100 shown in FIG. 3a additionally includes an optional collisional cell 20 with gas control line 21 for controlled injection of a collisional or reactive gas or mixture of at least two gases. In contrast to the cases shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the first f.sub.1 and second flow directions f.sub.2 are antiparallel to each other in case of FIG. 3a.

[0052] The embodiment shown in FIG. 3b is similar to that shown in FIG. 3a. However, the guiding optics C here further includes ion optics 30 transferring ion beam 11 from the collisional cell 20 or mass analyzer 9 to region 29 and electrode arrangement 31 used to direct ions of the ion beam 8 into the first flow direction f.sub.1 and thus, to the first detector unit 10, e.g., by applying a switching voltage.

[0053] Even though all preferred embodiments shown in the figures relate to a second detector unit B in the form of a Q/TOF detector unit, the present disclosure is with no means limited to such configuration of the second detector unit B. Similarly, the disclosure is also not limited towards a first detector unit A comprising a quadrupole detector.

[0054] However, for such cases, where a Q/TOF based device is combined with a quadrupole based device, the present disclosure enables to integrate the first detector unit A into an area including the push/pull region 29 of the TOF based second detector unit B such that the ions of the ion beam 11 received from mass analyzer 9 or collisional cell 20 are wither guided towards the first 10 or second detector 15. That way, costs to set up the combined device as well as its complexity can be highly reduced. In principle, the first detector unit A can be integrated into a TOF based second detector unit B without affecting its properties meaning that the properties of a quadrupole and TOF based device can be entirely maintained in the combined hybrid device 100.

[0055] It is an advantage of the present disclosure that within one single device 100 an interleaved recording of mass spectra with the first 10 or second 15 detector becomes possible, e.g., depending on the information to be obtained from the sample. For instance, after ionization (or atomization) of the sample a first Q/TOF based mass spectrum can be recorded to reveal overall mass range information of the dynamic range of ions contained in the sample. In one or more subsequent steps, quadrupole based mass spectra may be recorded to analyze low abundant ion populations or ions with very strict quantification demands. Both spectra may also be merged into a final spectrum. Another mode of operation can also start from an analysis based on the first detector unit a, i.e. a quadrupole based analysis, which then may trigger to also record a TOF based spectrum for advanced information or to obtain a preset decision tree for further proceeding. Yet, other possible modes of operation include to analyze different components of the sample with the two different detectors 10, 15, e.g., particles by the second detector 15 and homogeneously dissolved ingredients by the first detector 10, or isotope distribution patterns with the second detector and other targets using the first detector 10.

[0056] In summary, the apparatus 100 and method according to the present disclosure provide for several advantages over prior art devices: Mass spectra with a sensitivity and robustness equal to classical quadrupole based mass spectrometry devices can be recorded as well as a simultaneous acquisition of a spectrum relating to all elements contained in the sample. Different acquisition speeds, sensitivities and dynamic ranges of both a quadrupole and a TOF based device can advantageously be combined depending on the application, which also results in a higher overall measurement speed.