Device for adjusting slit widths in spectrometers

US4612440A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Finnigan MAT GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Curt Brunnee · Ritterhude, DE
• Peter Dobberstein · Bremen, DE
• Gunter Kappus · Stuhr, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 10, 1984
• Grant date: Sep 16, 1986
• Expiry date: Sep 10, 2004

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J49/02
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Slit means in spectrometers for the analysis of organic and inorganic substances, in particular in mass spectrometers, have hitherto been controlled for varying the slit widths by connecting them in a suitable manner to a metallic wire, through which an electric current flowed, under the influence of which the wire heats up and changes its length. The slit or diaphragm means connected to the wire were then displaced relative to the beam path. It is a great disadvantage that the diaphragms follow a change of the current for controlling the slit widths with a relatively long time delay, which is unacceptable for various types of measuring operation, in particular types of measuring operation under data system control. To eliminate this disadvantage, a device (11) is proposed which has at least one movable slit jaw (12) which is movable to and fro, substantially perpendicular to the beam path (16) and without delay, by a piezo-electric element (14).