Ion detection system with neutral noise suppression

1. An ion detection system comprising:

a mass analyzer generating an ion beam along an ion beam longitudinal axis;

a field generator for generating a field for altering the direction of ions in the ion beam away from the ion beam longitudinal axis;

a conversion dynode including an ion collision region on a conversion dynode surface, a conversion dynode axis passing through the ion collision region perpendicular to the conversion dynode surface, the conversion dynode axis being offset from and not intersecting the ion beam longitudinal axis, an angle between the conversion dynode axis and the ion beam longitudinal axis being less than 180 degrees;

an electron multiplier receiving secondary charged particles from the conversion dynode generated in response to the ion collision with the conversion dynode surface.

2. The ion detection system of claim 1 wherein:

the field generator generates a magnetic field, an electric field or a combination of a magnetic field and an electric field.

3. The ion detection system of claim 2 wherein:

the field is an electric field, the field generator including a charged rod producing the electric field.

4. The ion detection system of claim 2 wherein:

the field is a magnetic field, the field generator including a pair of magnetic elements positioned on either side of the ion beam, the magnetic elements having opposite magnetic polarity.

5. The ion detection system of claim 4 wherein:

the magnetic elements are permanent magnets.

6. The ion detection system of claim 4 wherein:

the magnetic elements are electro-magnets.

7. The ion detection system of claim 1 further comprising:

a conductive shield around the conversion dynode, the conductive shield including an ion entrance aperture receiving ions from the ion beam and an ion exit aperture for receiving the secondary charged particles from the conversion dynode.

8. The ion detection system of claim 7 wherein:

the shield is grounded or the shield is electrically biased.

9. The ion detection system of claim 1 further comprising:

an optical lens assembly positioned along the ion beam longitudinal axis.

10. The ion detection system of claim 1 wherein:

the ion detection system is part of a mass spectrometer of the quadrupole type.

11. The ion detection system of claim 1 wherein:

the ion detection system is part of a mass spectrometer of the ion-trap type.

12. The ion detection system of claim 1 wherein:

the angle between the conversion dynode axis and the ion beam longitudinal axis being is 90 degrees.

13. The ion detection system of claim 1 wherein:

ion beam longitudinal axis is normal to a first plane;

the conversion dynode axis is normal to a second plane;

the first plane and the second plane intersecting and having an angle therebetween, the angle being between 0 degrees and 180 degrees.

14. The ion detection system of claim 1 wherein:

the angle between the first plane and the second plane being 90 degrees.

15. An ion detection system comprising:

a mass analyzer generating an ion beam along an ion beam longitudinal axis along a first axis of a three-dimensional coordinate system;

a field generator for generating a field for altering the direction of ions in the ion beam away from the ion beam longitudinal axis, the direction of the ions being along a second axis of a three-dimensional coordinate system, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis;

a conversion dynode including an ion collision region on a conversion dynode surface, a conversion dynode axis passing through the ion collision region perpendicular to the conversion dynode surface, the conversion dynode axis being offset from and not intersecting the ion beam longitudinal axis, the conversion dynode axis extending along a third axis of a three-dimensional coordinate system, the third axis being perpendicular to both the first axis and the second axis;

an electron multiplier receiving secondary charged particles from the conversion dynode generated in response to the ion collision with the conversion dynode surface.

16. The ion detection system of claim 15 wherein:

ion beam longitudinal axis is perpendicular to the first axis.

17. The ion detection system of claim 15 wherein:

direction of the ions along the second axis is perpendicular to the second axis.

18. The ion detection system of claim 15 wherein:

conversion dynode axis is perpendicular to the third axis.