Secondary ion quadrupole mass spectrometer for depth profiling--design and performance evaluation

A quadrupole-based secondary ion mass spectrometer designed for depth profiling is described which combines ultrahigh vacuum construction with high sputtering rate, detection sensitivity, depth resolution, mass spectral purity, and abundance sensitivity. Impurities such as B and Al implanted in Si can be profiled to levels below one part per million atomic (ppma), at a depth resolution equal to that obtained by commercial ion microprobes. The primary beam consists of 5-keV, mass-analyzed (40)Ar(+) ions, focused to about 70 microm in diameter. Its high current density (>25mA/cm(2)) permits adequate beam rastering and electronic signal-gating to optimize depth resolution. A secondary ion extraction lens and spherical energy filter are responsible for achieving abundance sensitivities of five to six orders of magnitude on the low mass side of a matrix peak. The ultrahigh vacuum environment of the sample dramatically reduces molecular peaks containing H, C, and O, allowing even hydrogen to be profiled to concentrations below 10 ppma. Because large amounts of data are generated by multi-element depth profiling, means for automated instrument control and data acquisition have been developed.     

Elemental and molecular imaging of human hair using secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is used to image the spatial distribution of elemental and molecular species on the surface and in cross sections of doped human hair using a magnetic sector SIMS instrument operated as an ion microprobe. Analysis of electrically insulating, non-planar hair samples requires one of two different methods of charge compensation to be used depending on the polarity of the sputtered secondary ions. For detection of positive secondary ions, the hair is imaged using a approximately 0.5 micron diameter, 19.5 keV impact energy, O- microbeam with no auxiliary electron bombardment. For detection of negative secondary ions, a approximately 0.2 micron diameter, 14.5 keV impact energy Cs+ microbeam is used in conjunction with normal incidence, low-energy electron bombardment. Both of these methods allow submicrometer spatial resolution elemental and molecular secondary ion images to be obtained from hair samples without metallic coating of the sample surface prior to analysis. Several examples are presented that reflect potential application areas for these analytical methods.     

质谱仪离子导向装置的原理、应用和进展

离子导向装置（ion guide）是传输离子的重要手段。在质谱仪器中,离子导向装置是离子光学（ion optics）系统的重要组成部分,是联络处于低真空（或大气压）电离源和质量分析器的桥梁。离子导向装置不仅用于传输离子,还可降低离子的空间发散度和能量分散度,使离子最大限度到达质量分析器。本工作主要对一些常用的离子导向装置的原理、应用和进展进行了评述,并展望了未来的发展。     

Beam purification by photodetachment (invited)

Ion beam purity is of crucial importance to many basic and applied studies in nuclear science. Selective photodetachment has been proposed to suppress unwanted species in negative ion beams while preserving the intensity of the species of interest. A highly efficient technique based on photodetachment in a gas-filled radio frequency quadrupole ion cooler has been demonstrated. In off-line experiments with stable ions, up to 10(4) times suppression of the isobar contaminants in a number of interesting radioactive negative ion beams has been demonstrated. For selected species, this technique promises new experimental possibilities in studies on exotic nuclei, accelerator mass spectrometry, and fundamental properties of negative atomic and molecular ions.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of long-chain lipids

Electrospray and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization generate abundant molecular ion species from all known lipids that have long chain fatty acyl groups esterified or amidated to many different polar headgroup features. Molecular ion species include both positive ions from proton addition [M+H](+) and negative ions from proton abstraction [M-H](-) as well as positive ions from alkali metal attachment and negative ions from acetate or chloride attachment. Collisional activation of both MALDI and ESI behave very similarly in that generated molecular species yield product ions that reveal many structural features of the fatty acyl lipids that can be detected in tandem mass spectrometric experiments. For many lipid species, collision induced dissociation of the positive [M+H](+) reveals information about the polar headgroup, while collision induced dissociation of the negative [M-H](-) provides information about the fatty acyl chain. The mechanisms of formation of many of these lipid product ions have been studied in detail and many established pathways are reviewed here. Specific examples of mass spectrometric behavior of several molecular species are presented, including fatty acids, triacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol, ceramide, and sphingomeylin.     

High mass resolution time of flight mass spectrometer for measuring products in heterogeneous catalysis in highly sensitive microreactors

We demonstrate a combined microreactor and time of flight system for testing and characterization of heterogeneous catalysts with high resolution mass spectrometry and high sensitivity. Catalyst testing is performed in silicon-based microreactors which have high sensitivity and fast thermal response. Gas analysis is performed with a time of flight mass spectrometer with a modified nude Bayard-Alpert ionization gauge as gas ionization source. The mass resolution of the time of flight mass spectrometer using the ion gauge as ionization source is estimated to m∕Δm > 2500. The system design is superior to conventional batch and flow reactors with accompanying product detection by quadrupole mass spectrometry or gas chromatography not only due to the high sensitivity, fast temperature response, high mass resolution, and fast acquisition time of mass spectra but it also allows wide mass range (0-5000 amu in the current configuration). As a demonstration of the system performance we present data from ammonia oxidation on a Pt thin film showing resolved spectra of OH and NH(3).     

Photoelectron-photofragment coincidence spectroscopy in a cryogenically cooled linear electrostatic ion beam trap

A cryogenically cooled linear electrostatic ion beam trap for use in photoelectron-photofragment coincidence (PPC) spectroscopy is described. Using this instrument, anions created in cold, low-duty-cycle sources can be stored for many seconds in a ~20 K environment to cool radiatively, removing energetic uncertainties due to vibrationally excited precursor anions. This apparatus maintains a well-collimated beam necessary for high-resolution fragment imaging and the high experimental duty cycle needed for coincidence experiments. Ion oscillation is bunched and phase-locked to a modelocked laser, ensuring temporal overlap between ion bunches and laser pulses and that ions are intersected by the laser only when travelling in one direction. An electron detector is housed in the field-free center of the trap, allowing PPC experiments to be carried out on ions while they are stored and permitting efficient detection of 3-dimensional electron and neutral recoil trajectories. The effects of trapping parameters on the center-of-mass trajectories in the laser-ion interaction region are explored to optimize neutral particle resolution, and the impact of bunching on ion oscillation is established. Finally, an initial demonstration of radiative cooling is presented.     

An integrated ion trap and time-of-flight mass spectrometer for chemical and photo- reaction dynamics studies

We demonstrate the integration of a linear quadrupole trap with a simple time-of-flight mass spectrometer with medium-mass resolution (m/Δm ～ 50) geared towards the demands of atomic, molecular, and chemical physics experiments. By utilizing a novel radial ion extraction scheme from the linear quadrupole trap into the mass analyzer, a device with large trap capacity and high optical access is realized without sacrificing mass resolution. This provides the ability to address trapped ions with laser light and facilitates interactions with neutral background gases prior to analyzing the trapped ions. Here, we describe the construction and implementation of the device as well as present representative ToF spectra. We conclude by demonstrating the flexibility of the device with proof-of-principle experiments that include the observation of molecular-ion photodissociation and the measurement of trapped-ion chemical reaction rates.     

A new experimental setup designed for the investigation of irradiation of nanosystems in the gas phase: a high intensity mass-and-energy selected cluster beam

DIAM (Dispositif d'Irradiation d'Agre?gats Mole?culaires) is a new experimental setup devoted to investigate processes induced by irradiation at the nanoscale. The DIAM apparatus is based on a combination of techniques including a particle beam from high-energy physics, a cluster source from molecular and cluster physics, and mass spectrometry form analytical sciences. In this paper, we will describe the first part of the DIAM apparatus that consists of an ExB double spectrometer connected to a cluster ion source based on a continuous supersonic expansion in the presence of ionizing electrons. This setup produces high intensities of energy-and-mass selected molecular cluster ion beams (1000 s of counts s(-1)). The performance of the instrument will be shown through measurements of 6-8 keV beams of protonated water clusters, (H(2)O)(n)H(+) (n = 0-21) and mixed protonated (or deprotonated) water-pyridine cluster ions: PyrH(+)(H(2)O)(n) (n = 0-15), Pyr(2)H(+) (H(2)O)(n) (n = 0-9), and (Pyr-H)(+) (H(2)O).     

Shock tube coupled to the time-of-flight mass spectrometer via a molecular beam sampling system

A method for continuous mass spectrometric analysis of high-temperature reacting gas mixtures is described. The apparatus consists of a unique combination of three devices: the shock tube, the time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and the supersonic molecular beam. The driven section of the shock tube constitutes the reservoir of a supersonic molecular beam by which gas is continuously extracted from the reaction zone and introduced through a two-stage high-capacity vacuum system into the ionization region of the mass spectrometer. The shock tube and the mass spectrometer are coupled at right angles to one another. This configuration avoids excessive pressure buildup in the mass spectrometer system. The apparatus has an estimated mass resolution of 100 amu, a frequency range of 10-100 kHz, and can be operated over a wide range of shock conditions during the complete high-temperature pulse.     

A time of flight mass spectrometer with field free interaction region for low energy charged particle-molecule collision studies

A new design of a linear time of flight mass spectrometer (ToFMS) is implemented that gives nearly field-free interaction region without compromising on the mass resolution. The design addresses problems that would arise in a conventional Wiley-McLaren type of ToFMS: (i) field leakages into the charged particle-molecule interaction region from various components of the mass spectrometer, including that through the high transparency mesh used to obtain evenly distributed electric fields; (ii) complete collection and transportation of the ions produced in the interaction region to the detector, which is essential for high sensitivity and cross section measurements. This ToFMS works over a wide range of masses from H(+) to a few hundred Daltons and would be the most suitable for low energy charged particle-molecule interaction studies. Performance of the ToFMS has been tested by measuring the partial ionization cross sections for electron impact on CF(4).     

An apparatus for immersing trapped ions into an ultracold gas of neutral atoms

We describe a hybrid vacuum system in which a single ion or a well-defined small number of trapped ions (in our case Ba(+) or Rb(+)) can be immersed into a cloud of ultracold neutral atoms (in our case Rb). This apparatus allows for the study of collisions and interactions between atoms and ions in the ultracold regime. Our setup is a combination of a Bose-Einstein condensation apparatus and a linear Paul trap. The main design feature of the apparatus is to first separate the production locations for the ion and the ultracold atoms and then to bring the two species together. This scheme has advantages in terms of stability and available access to the region where the atom-ion collision experiments are carried out. The ion and the atoms are brought together using a moving one-dimensional optical lattice transport which vertically lifts the atomic sample over a distance of 30 cm from its production chamber into the center of the Paul trap in another chamber. We present techniques to detect and control the relative position between the ion and the atom cloud.     

飞行时间质谱和高性能电子学控制技术

飞行时间质量分离器是飞行时间质谱仪的主要组成部分。飞行时间质谱（TOF MS）具有分析质量范围宽、分析速度快、仪器结构简单等优点,但离子初始动能和初始位置容易分散是影响其分辨率的核心因素。本综述根据本课题组多年的研制经验,着重介绍离子束垂直引入方式的反射式有栅网飞行时间质谱的离子光学以及相关电子学控制的核心技术原理。离子光学核心技术涉及到离子加速场和离子反射场的机械加工控制和精密装配控制等,电子学控制核心技术主要包括高压电源和高压脉冲电源的精密制作。     

Generation of an ion beam in a glow-discharge source

A mechanism of ion extraction from a glow-discharge ion source based on a hollow cathode and used for elemental analysis of solids, is considered Experiments have shown that two oppositely directed ion flows are formed from ions produced in the region of negative glow-discharge fluorescence. One flow has an ion energy ≥ 100 eV, is directed to the cathode, and bombards and sputters the analyzed sample. The sputtered atoms diffuse into the negative-glow region and are ionized. The second flow (low-energy ions) is extracted from the same negative-glow region and transported from the cathode to the surface of the anode chamber owing to an ambipolar diffusion. These ions are extracted from a hole in the anode chamber of a standard ion source by an electric field and are used for mass-spectrum analysis. The energy-distribution width for these ions is ∼5 eV. The intensity of the ion beam extracted from the anode hole is an order of magnitude higher than the intensity of the ion beam extracted from the cathode region. Original Russian Text ? G.G. Sikharulidze, 2009, published in Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, 2009, No. 2, pp. 105–109.     

Combining high mass resolution and velocity imaging in a time-of-flight ion spectrometer using pulsed fields and an electrostatic lens

We describe a momentum resolving time-of-flight ion mass spectrometer that combines a high mass resolution, a velocity focusing condition for improved momentum resolution, and field-free conditions in the source region for high resolution electron detection. It is used in electron-ion coincidence experiments to record multiple ionic fragments produced in breakup reactions of small to medium sized molecules, such as F(3)SiCH(2)CH(2)Si(CH(3))(3). These breakup reactions are caused by soft x rays or intense laser fields. The ion spectrometer uses pulsed extraction fields, an electrostatic lens, and a delay line detector to resolve the position. Additionally, we describe a simple analytical method for calculating the momentum from the measured hit position and the time of flight of the ions.     

Ultrahigh vacuum deposition of organic molecules by electrospray ionization

An electrospray apparatus for deposition of organic molecules on surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum is presented. The kinetic energy at the impact and mass to charge ratio of deposited ions can be controlled by an electrostatic quadrupole deflector and an in-line quadrupole mass spectrometer. With an ion funnel in the first two vacuum stages a high ion transmission is achieved. Experiments on porphyrin cations and deoxyribonucleic acid deposited on a Au(111) surface demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument.     

Product Ion Nodes in MS/MS

Abstract

The transmission of ions through an RF-only quadrupole collision cell is affected by both the frequency and voltage applied to the quadrupole. With a change in the RF-only quadrupole collision cell voltage (viz, the collision energy) ion intensities for both parent and product ions determined by a final mass-analyzing quadrupole vary in a modulated fashion. This pattern of ion intensities has been described as quadrupole “nodes”. Ion transmission through the RF-only quadrupole has been carefully investigated here using energy-resolved mass spectrometry with variations in the collision cell pressure and the mass of the ions. A theory is developed to explain the presence of product ion nodes that focuses on ion velocity as the critical parameter in their production.     

5,6,7,4′-四羟基黄酮和5,6,7,4′-四甲氧基黄酮高分辨电喷雾串联质谱裂解规律对比研究

以5,6,7,4′-四羟基黄酮和5,6,7,4′-四甲氧基黄酮为例,运用高分辨电喷雾串联质谱在正离子模式下(HR-ESI-MS/MS)获得的碎片离子,根据一、二级质谱离子的精确质荷比,分别推导出两种黄酮可能的裂解途径,并比较多甲氧基、多羟基黄酮质谱裂解规律的异同。结果表明:在正离子模式下,5,6,7,4′-四羟基黄酮和5,6,7,4′-四甲氧基黄酮的一级质谱均可获得稳定的准分子离子。5,6,7,4′-四羟基黄酮的二级质谱碎片离子由准分子离子[M+H]+经RDA裂解及进一步脱水和(或)脱一氧化碳中性分子产生,直接由准分子离子脱水及一氧化碳中性分子获得的碎片离子丰度比较低;5,6,7,4′-四甲氧基黄酮二级质谱碎片即可由准分子离子[M+H]+直接经RDA裂解,还可先脱去乙烷或甲烷中性分子再经RDA裂解(1,3断裂)获得。此外,该化合物还有大量的碎片离子是由准分子离子[M+H]+分别经脱水、甲烷、乙烷或进一步脱甲基、一氧化碳而获得。两个化合物质谱碎片的比较结果表明,多甲氧基黄酮的二级质谱碎片裂解机制更复杂,碎片信息更丰富。该方法可为黄酮类化合物成分的快速定性分析提供支持,也可为黄酮类化合物体内代谢产物的LC-MS/MS鉴定提供依据。     

Molecular and negative ion production by a standard electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Molecular and negative ion beams, usually produced in special ion sources, play an increasingly important role in fundamental and applied atomic physics. The ATOMKI-ECRIS is a standard ECR ion source, designed to provide highly charged ion (HCI) plasmas and beams. In the present work, H(-), O(-), OH(-), O(2)(-), C(-), C(60)(-) negative ions and H(2)(+), H(3)(+), OH(+), H(2)O(+), H(3)O(+), O(2)(+) positive molecular ions were generated in this HCI-ECRIS. Without any major modification in the source and without any commonly applied tricks (such as usage of cesium or magnetic filter), negative ion beams of several μA and positive molecular ion beams in the mA range were successfully obtained.     

山茛菪碱衍生物的电喷雾离子阱质谱研究

山茛菪碱类化合物具有M胆碱受体抑制剂的作用,有潜在的药物研究价值。合成了新的山茛菪碱衍生物,采取电喷雾离子阱质谱的正、负离子模式对3种苄基修饰的山茛菪碱季铵盐进行了质谱分析。实验表明,负离子模式下,山茛菪碱季铵正离子与两个氯离子结合形成[M+35]-准分子离子峰,并在二级质谱中生成失去一氯甲烷或苄基氯的离子。正离子模式下的一级质谱中,3种衍生物均产生山茛菪碱季铵基正离子峰[M35]+;二级质谱中,连接苄基的CN键与HOC、HC或RCOOC键协同断裂,产生托品骨架离子。本研究进一步分析了N苄基山茛菪碱季铵盐的结构特征,揭示了该类季铵盐的质谱裂解特征。