Ion-optical phase volume compression
US7276688B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 24, 2005 |
| Grant date | Oct 2, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 4, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J49/443
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for damping the kinetic energy of ions in ion cells filled with collision gas and with an exit aperture to drain the ions out of the cell. The invention uses a conditioning cell with an adjustable DC potential which decreases towards the exit aperture to compress the phase volume of the ions by damping their kinetic energies, collecting the ions after thermalization in the spatial potential minimum thus created and letting them drain away relatively slowly through a central potential minimum in the exit aperture system. This facilitates the production of very fine, highly parallel ion beams which consist of almost monoenergetic ions. In particular, the method can also be coupled with a fragmentation of the ions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.