The present teachings are generally related to methods and systems for modulating the transmission of ions into a component of a mass spectrometer, and more particularly to such methods and systems that can be employed to increase the dynamic range for the attenuation of an ion beam in a mass spectrometer.
Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique for measuring mass-to-charge ratios of molecules, with both qualitative and quantitative applications. MS can be useful for identifying unknown compounds, determining the structure of a particular compound by observing its fragmentation, and quantifying the amount of a particular compound in a sample. Mass spectrometers detect chemical entities as ions such that a conversion of the analytes to charged ions must occur during sample processing.
It is often necessary to attenuate the intensity of an ion beam in a mass spectrometer, for example, to avoid detector saturation, reduce space charge which can have an adverse effect on the performance of quadrupole mass filters, or prevent over-filling of an ion trap, among others. The ability to reduce the intensity of an ion beam in a predictable fashion can also reduce the number of dilutions required for analysis of a sample in a mass spectrometer.
A conventional technique for reducing the intensity of ion beam is to vary the electric potential applied to a lens positioned in proximity of an inlet port of a mass spectrometer component from transmitting to non-transmitting mode. The reduction in the beam intensity can be proportional to the duty cycle of the electric potential applied to the lens. For example, such a technique has been used to attenuate an ion beam by pulsing the electric potential applied to a skimmer of a mass spectrometer.
Such a technique, however, suffers from non-linearity at low duty cycles.
Accordingly, there is a need for enhanced methods and systems for attenuating intensity of an ion beam in a mass spectrometer, and particularly a need for such methods and systems that allow linear attenuation of the intensity of an ion beam over a large range of intensities.
In one aspect, a method of modulating transmission of ions in a mass spectrometer is disclosed, which comprises generating an ion beam comprising a plurality of ions, directing the ion beam to an ion optic positioned in the path of the ion beam, wherein the ion optic includes at least one opening through which the ions can pass, and applying one or more voltage pulses at a selected duty cycle to said ion optic so as to obtain a desired attenuation of brightness of the ion beam passing through the ion optic, where a pulse width of said voltage pulses at said selected duty cycle is determined by identifying a pulse width on a calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation for said ions that corresponds to said desired attenuation on an ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation for said ions.
In some embodiments, the calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation is obtained via a linear fit to data corresponding to normalized intensity of said ions transmitted through said ion optic as a function of pulse widths of a plurality of voltages applied to said ion optic at said selected duty cycle.
By way of example, the ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation can be defined by the following linear relation:
where,
The calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation can be defined by the following linear relation:
where,
The above Equations (1) and (2) can be employed to determine a pulse width x2 for application to the ion optic according to the following relation:
In some embodiments, the calibration normalized ion intensity for a voltage pulse width associated with a plurality of voltage pulses applied to said ion optic at said duty cycle is obtained as a ratio of measured intensity of ions passing through said ion optic at that voltage pulse width relative to measured intensity of ions passing through said ion optic at a calibration voltage pulse width associated with a plurality of calibration voltage pulses applied to said ion optic at said duty cycle. By way of example, the calibration voltage pulses can have a pulse width of about 200 microseconds and can be applied to the ion optic at a duty cycle of about 5%.
In some embodiments, the above slope (m2) and intercept (b) can be obtained via a polynomial fit to measured normalized ion intensity for ions having a plurality of different m/z ratios. Such a polynomial fit can be used to obtain values of m2 and b for use in the above Eq. (3) when calculating a pulse width for voltage pulses to be applied to the ion optic.
In some embodiments, an ion beam can include ions having a plurality of different m/z ratios. In some such embodiments, the above Eq. (3) can be employed to determine the pulse width for one of the m/z ratios. The determined pulse width can then be applied to the ion optic. Although the determined pulse width may differ from an optimal pulse width for m/z ratios other than the one used to determine the pulse width, nonetheless the use of the determined pulse width can enhance linearity of ion transmission, especially when the m/z ratios span a range of values equal or less than about 200 Da for low (e.g., 50 to 250 Da) and middle (e.g., 600 to 800 Da) mass ranges and even wider range (e.g., 300 Da) for a higher mass range mass range.
In some embodiments, the pulse width of the voltage pulses applied to the ion optic can be equal to or less than about 2000 microseconds, e.g., in a range of about 4 microseconds to about 2000 microseconds. Further, in some embodiments, the rise time of the voltage pulses applied to the ion optic can be equal to or less than about 20 microseconds. In some embodiments, the voltage pulses have an amplitude that is selected to inhibit transmission of ions, preferably all ions, to components disposed downstream of the ion optic during an inhibitory phase of the voltage pulses.
The voltage pulses can be applied to the ion optic at a variety of different duty cycles. For example, the duty cycle can be in a range of about 0.1% to about 5%, e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% or any other value in this range.
In some embodiments, the present teachings can be employed to attenuate the brightness of an ion beam in a mass spectrometer by a factor in a range of about 0.1% to about 5%.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises positioning any of a mass filter and an ion trap downstream of the ion optic such that the ion optic is disposed in proximity of an inlet of the mass filter or the ion trap for modulating transmission of ions thereto. As discussed in more detail below, the ion optic can be positioned in a region in which a background gas provides a sufficient pressure so as to cause the ions to lose some of their axial kinetic energy as a result of collisions with the background gas, thus allowing the ions to be trapped by the ion optic when the voltage applied to the ion optic is intended to inhibit transmission of the ions to a downstream component of the spectrometer. By way of example, the background pressure of the region in which the ion optic is disposed can be in a range of about a few millitorrs (e.g., 1 mTorr, to about 10 mTorr).
In a related aspect, a method of modulating transmission of ions in a mass spectrometer is disclosed, which comprises generating an ion beam comprising a plurality of ions, directing the ion beam to an ion optic positioned in the path of the ion beam, wherein the ion optic includes at least one opening through which the ions can pass, and applying one or more voltage pulses to said ion optic at a selected duty cycle so as to modulate passage of the ions through the ion optic, where a pulse width of said voltage pulses is determined by calculating an adjustment to a pulse width of an ideal pulse that would result in a desired normalized intensity for ions passing through said ion optic. The step of calculating the adjustment can include utilizing an ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation and a calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation for said ions.
In a related aspect, a mass spectrometer is disclosed, which comprises an ion source for generating an ion beam comprising a plurality of ions, an ion optic positioned in a path of said ion beam, said ion optic comprising at least one opening through which ions can pass, and a voltage source configured for applying one or more voltage pulses to said ion optic at a selected duty cycle so as to obtain a desired attenuation of brightness of the ion beam, where the voltage pulses have a pulse width corresponding to a pulse width on a calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation for said ions that corresponds to said desired attenuation on an ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation for said ions.
The mass spectrometer can further include a controller for determining said pulse width of the voltage pulses by identifying said pulse width on said calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width relation. The controller can be in communication with the voltage source to communicate said determined pulse width to the voltage source.
In some embodiments, the voltage pulses have a rise time less than about 20 microseconds. Further, in some embodiments, the voltage pulses have a pulse width in a range of about 4 microseconds to about 200 microseconds. Further, the voltage pulses can have an amplitude selected to inhibit transmission of ions, and preferably all ions, through the ion optic to which the voltage pulses are applied during the inhibitory phases of the voltage pulses. By way of example, the voltage pulses can have an amplitude of at least about 50 volts.
In some embodiments, the controller controls the voltage source so as to apply said voltage pulses to said ion optic at a duty cycle less than about 5%, e.g., at a duty cycle in a range of about 0.1% to about 5%.
In some embodiments, the mass spectrometer can further include a mass filter, e.g., a quadrupole mass filter, that is disposed downstream of the ion optic such that the ion optic is positioned in proximity of an inlet port of the mass filter for modulating the transmission of ions into the mass filter. In some embodiments, an ion trap, e.g., a linear ion trap (e.g., a quadrupole linear ion trap), is disposed downstream of the ion optic such that the ion optic is positioned in proximity of an inlet port of the ion trap for modulating the transmission of ions into the ion trap.
The present teachings relate generally to methods and systems for modulating transmission of ions into a component of a mass spectrometer, such as a mass filter or an ion trap, such as a linear ion trap. In some embodiments, one or more voltage pulses are applied to an ion optic, such as an ion lens, that is positioned in the path of an ion beam of the mass spectrometer to modulate the transmission of the ions through the ion optic. The pulse width of the voltage pulses can be determined by using a calibration ion intensity versus pulse width relation and an ideal ion intensity versus pulse width relation in a manner discussed in more detail below.
Various terms are used herein in accordance with their ordinary meanings in the art. The following terms are defined to provide further clarification:
The term “brightness of an ion beam,” as used herein, is a measure of the number of ions that pass through a specified area per unit time.
The term “rise time of a pulse,” as used herein, refers to the time required for a pulse to increase from zero to 90% of its amplitude.
The term “duty cycle” as used herein refers to the percentage of time that ions are transmitted through an ion optic to which voltage pulses according to the present teachings are applied over a cycle time, where a cycle time refers to the time interval between consecutive voltage pulses.
The term “calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width” as used herein refers to the ratio of measured ion intensity relative to a reference ion intensity as a function of a plurality of pulse widths applied to an ion optic through which the ions pass,
The term “ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width” as used herein refers to calculated ratio of ion intensity relative to a calculated reference ion intensity as a function of a plurality of voltage pulses having an ideal pulse width characterized by a vanishing rise time and a sufficiently high amplitude to prevent 100% transmission of ions during their non-transmission phase,
The term “about” as used herein refers to variation of a numerical value of at most +/−10 percent.
The term “substantially” as used herein refers to a deviation from a complete state or condition of at most about +/−10 percent.
By way of example,
The calibration relation can be obtained by measuring the intensity of ions that pass through the ion optic at the selected duty cycle as a function of the pulse width for a plurality of voltage pulses applied to the ion optic and normalizing the measured ion intensity relative to a reference ion intensity. For example, the calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width data depicted in
In some embodiments, both the ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width and the calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width can be in the form of linear relations. By way of example, in some embodiments, the ideal ion intensity versus pulse width can be defined by the above relation (1) and the calibration ion intensity versus pulse width can be in turn defined by the above relation (2). As discussed above, the two relations can be used to provide above relation (3), which defines the pulse width of the actual voltage pulses as a function of pulse width of the ideal voltage pulses.
While the coefficient m1 is mass independent due to the assumed vanishing rise time of the ideal voltage pulses, the coefficients m2 and b are mass dependent due to finite rise time of the actual voltage pulses. In addition, as noted above, the kinetic energy of the ions can be influenced by the number of collisions with the background gas they suffer near the ion optic, which can cause kinetic energy loss. This can in turn result in ions having different axial kinetic energies, which also contributes to the mass dependence of m2 and b. In some embodiments, the above slope (m2) and intercept (b) can be obtained via a polynomial fit to measured normalized ion intensity for ions having a plurality of different m/z ratios. Such a polynomial fit can be used to obtain values of m2 and b for use in the above Eq. (3) when calculating a pulse width for voltage pulses to be applied to the ion optic. In various aspects, other suitable forms of fits to the data can be used.
By way of example,
It should be understood that the linear fits in the above Equations (4) and (5) are for a specific example, and they can vary for other examples of ions, e.g., because of variations in pulse rise time, pressure, and spacing of the between the IQ0 lens and the Q0 ion optic.
With continued reference to
With reference to
In some embodiments, the ion optic can be in the form of a lens positioned in proximity of an inlet port of a component of the mass spectrometer. For example, the ion optic can be in the form of a lens positioned in proximity of an inlet port of a mass filter or an ion trap, e.g., a linear ion trap, so as to modulate the transmission of ions into the mass filter or the ion trap. In some embodiments, the ion optic can be composed of two or more lenses that are positioned in tandem for modulating the intensity of an ion beam passing therethrough.
In some embodiments, the duty cycle of the voltage pulses applied to the ion optic can be, for example, in a range of about 0.1% to about 5%. In some embodiments, the present teachings advantageously allow an enhanced linearity of ion intensity modulation at duty cycles of even as low as about 0.1%.
As noted above, the coefficients m2 and b in the above relation 3 are mass dependent. Thus, the relation 3 defines the requisite pulse width for a particular ion mass. In some embodiments, an ion beam can include a plurality of ion types having different m/z ratios. In some such embodiments, the pulse width of the voltage pulses for application to the ion optic can be determined for an m/z ratio within the range of m/z ratios exhibited by the ions within the ion beam. Although such a pulse width is determined only for one of the m/z ratios, if the spread of m/z ratios exhibited by the ions is not too broad the advantages associated with the present teachings can still be achieved. For example, in some embodiments in which the spread of the m/z ratios of ions within an ion beam is less than about 200 Da, this approach can result in a much enhanced linear attenuation of the ion beam, particularly at low duty cycles of the voltage pulses.
The present teachings can be implemented in a variety of different mass spectrometers. By way of example,
The ion guide Q0 delivers the ions via a lens IQ1 and stubby ST1 to a downstream quadrupole mass analyzer Q1, which can be situated in a vacuum chamber that can be evacuated to a pressure that can be maintained lower than that of the chamber in which RF ion guide Q0 is disposed. By way of non-limiting example, the vacuum chamber containing Q1 can be maintained at a pressure less than about 1×10−4 Torr (e.g., about 5×10−5 Torr), though other pressures can be used for this or for other purposes.
As discussed in more detail below, a plurality of voltage pulses according to the present teachings can be applied to the lens IQ0 at a selected duty cycle so as to provide a desired attenuation of the ion beam.
As will be appreciated by a person of skill in the art, the quadrupole rod set Q1 can be operated as a conventional transmission RF/DC quadrupole mass filter that can be operated to select an ion of interest and/or a range of ions of interest. By way of example, the quadrupole rod set Q1 can be provided with RF/DC voltages suitable for operation in a mass-resolving mode. As should be appreciated, taking the physical and electrical properties of Q1 into account, parameters for an applied RF and DC voltage can be selected so that Q1 establishes a transmission window of chosen m/z ratios, such that these ions can traverse Q1 largely unperturbed. Ions having m/z ratios falling outside the window, however, do not attain stable trajectories within the quadrupole and can be prevented from traversing the quadrupole rod set Q1. It should be appreciated that this mode of operation is but one possible mode of operation for Q1. By way of example, in some embodiments, the quadrupole rod set Q1 can be configured as an ion trap. In some aspects, the ions can be Mass-Selective-Axially Ejected from the Q1 ion trap in a manner described by Hager in “A new Linear ion trap mass spectrometer,” Rapid Commun. Mass Spectra. 2002; 16: 512-526.
Ions passing through the quadrupole rod set Q1 can pass through the stubby ST2 to enter an electron-capture dissociation cell 1304 according to the present teachings. In some embodiments, the dissociation cell 1304 can include a plurality of quadrupole rod sets that are positioned in tandem and to which RF voltages can be applied to confine electrons in the vicinity of the longitudinal axis of the quadrupole rod sets for efficient interaction of the electrons with the precursor ions entering the dissociation module. The capture of one or more electrons by the precursor ions can result in fragmentation of at least a portion of the precursor ions. The fragmented ions can be detected and analyzed by a downstream mass analyzer 1208 in a manner known in the art.
With continued reference to
By way of example,
As shown schematically in
The ions pass through the quadrupole ion guide Q0 to reach the quadrupole mass filter Q1. Though not shown in this figure, one or more ion lenses can be disposed between the Q0 and Q1 quadrupoles. Although in this embodiment the quadrupole rod set Q1 is configured as a mass filter, in other embodiments, it can be configured as a linear ion trap (e.g., a linear ion trap) in a manner known in the art.
The following examples are provided for further elucidation of various aspects of the present teachings. These examples are provided only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to necessarily indicate the optimal ways of practicing the invention and/or optimal results that can be obtained.
The data discussed in the following examples were obtained using a hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer, which was modified in accordance with the present teachings.
Ions that are transported through the high pressure region of the QJet ion optic (See,
As a result of the different kinetic energies of the ions, their response to a voltage applied to a lens (e.g., IQ0A) disposed between the QJet and Q0 regions will be mass dependent. The ions kinetic energies can be modified relative to those listed above due to collisions with the background gas and by the gradient electric field by the pulse applied to the lens, which can cause kinetic energy losses. But in general, more electric potential is required to stop heavier ions.
Changing the applied DC potential from an ion transmitting to an ion non-transmitting mode occurs more quickly as the falling edge of the pulse is more steep than the rising edge thereof. In other words, in this example, the ion beam can be turned off more quickly than it can be turned on. It should also be noted that the on-axis potential experienced by the ions will be different than the potential applied to the lens due to the ion optics positioned on either side of the lens and the diameter of the lens aperture. Nonetheless,
A decrease in the rise time of a voltage pulse applied to the lens will increase the rate of response of the ions to the pulse. The faster the response, the closer will be the transmitting potential time period to the desired transmitting time period.
In many embodiments, an ion beam can be turned off by either increasing a DC potential applied to a lens, through which the ions pass, relative to adjacent ion optics or by reducing the DC potential. For example,
Upon application of equal DC potentials to these components, as shown in panel (a), the ions are expected to be transmitted straight through the lens as shown in
When the DC potential applied to the lens is raised, as shown in panel (b) of
When the DC potential applied to the lens is set to an attractive potential, the ions will be transmitted through the lens and be redirected to the downstream side of the lens where they are neutralized, as shown in
As discussed above, in many embodiments, the amplitude of the DC potential applied to the lens is selected to be sufficiently high so as to inhibit the transmission of 100% of the ions to the downstream components.
The data shown in
The plots appear fairly linear from 0 to 100% duty cycle. However, a closer look at the region below a duty cycle of 5% shows that the plots are in fact non-linear, as shown in
It has been observed that increasing the amplitude of the voltage pulses can improve the linearity of normalized ion intensity versus duty cycle of the applied pulses.
The data presented in
Each graph depicts a plot representing normalized measured ion intensity as a function of pulse width for voltage pulses having a rise time of about 14 microseconds (herein referred to as calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width), a linear fit to the measured normalized intensity data as a function of pulse width, and a plot representing an ideal normalized intensity as a function of pulse width. The ideal normalized ion intensity is an intensity that is expected if the voltage pulses applied to the lens had a vanishing rise time and the non-transmitting potentials applied to the lens would completely inhibit the transmission of ions through the lens.
The linear fits of the calibration ion intensity versus pulse width show slopes and intercepts that vary as a function of m/z ratios.
A linear fit to an ideal normalized ion intensity versus pulse width plot can be represented by the above Equation (1), which is reproduced below:
and a linear fit to a calibration normalized ion intensity versus pulse width plot can be represented by the above Equation (2), which is also reproduced below:
As discussed in detail above, these two equations can be employed to obtain the above Equation (3) for the pulse width of an applied pulse that would result in a normalized ion intensity y, which is reproduced below:
The mass dependent coefficients m2 (slope) and b (intercept) for the above calibration data are plotted in
If an ideal pulse width defined by x1 is desired then this value can be inserted into the above Equation (3) to obtain a value for x2 representing the pulse width of the voltage pulses to be applied to the lens.
The present application is the national stage of International Application No. PCT/IB2020/056924 filed on Jul. 22, 2020 titled “Increased Dynamic Range for the Attenuation of an Ion Beam,” which claims priority to a U.S. provisional patent application filed on Jul. 23, 2019 titled “Increased Dynamic Range for the Attenuation of an Ion Beam,” and having an Application No. 62/877,542, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2020/056924 | 7/22/2020 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2021/014390 | 1/28/2021 | WO | A |
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Entry |
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International Search Report dated Oct. 2, 2020 in corresponding PCT App. No. PCT/IB2020/056924 (4 pages). |
Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority dated Oct. 2, 2020 in corresponding PCT App. No. PCT/IB2020/056924 (9 pages). |
Hager, J., “A new linear ion trap mass spectrometer,” Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 16(6): 512-526 (2002). |
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20220254619 A1 | Aug 2022 | US |
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62877542 | Jul 2019 | US |