Opportunities for optimization of the rf signal applied to electrodes of quadrupole mass spectrometers. part ii. EC signals

• Published in: International journal of mass spectrometry Vol. 198; no. 1; pp. 97 - 111
• Main Authors: Sheretov, Ernst P., Kolotilin, Boris I., Veselkin, Nikolay V., Brykov, Alexander V., Fedosov, Edgar V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 14-04-2000
• ISSN: 1387-3806; 1873-2798
• DOI: 10.1016/S1387-3806(00)00164-0

In this article we discuss the use of harmonic and pulse EC signals in quadrupole mass spectrometers (QMS). Described are the structure of these signals, stability diagrams, and features of the amplitude-phase characteristics. We show that use of such signals can dramatically increase sensitivity of the QMS, and this increase is a direct result of the amplitude-phase characteristic’s specific shape. Performance of the ion trap driven by a pulse EC signal and meander are compared. Experiments show that an increase in sensitivity achieved by the EC signal simplifies the implementation of the QMS operating modes in the upper zones of the stability diagram. We provide an example in which the EC signal is used to operate a quadrupole mass filter in the upper zones.
Keywords: Mass spectrometer; Mass filter; Ion trap; Pulse signal