Method and apparatus for transmitting ions in a mass spectrometer maintained in a sub-atmospheric pressure regime

1. A method of transmitting ions in a mass spectrometer having an ion source with an ion exit and a mass analyzer and maintained in a sub-atmospheric pressure regime, comprising:

(a) generating analyte ions in the ion source, the ion source having an ion source volume comprising a plurality of subvolumes;

(b) applying extraction voltages for extracting analyte ions through the ion exit, wherein the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions of the ion exit are configured so that analyte ions generated in substantially all of the subvolumes of the ion source volume are extracted and an energy distribution width of the extracted analyte ions is maximized;

(c) transmitting the extracted analyte ions through an ion guide to the mass analyzer, the ion guide being filled with an interaction gas; and

(d) configuring at least one of an inner width of the ion guide, operating voltages applied to the ion guide, a length of the ion guide, and a pressure of the interaction gas so that the analyte ion energy distribution width is narrowed and the analyte ions are collimated within the ion guide.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in step (b), the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions are configured so that a number of extracted analyte ions is maximized.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein in, step (b), the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions are configured and step (d) is performed so that the analyte ion energy distribution width in a direction of ion travel is narrowed.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein step (d) is performed so that the analyte ions are thermalized in the ion guide, and wherein the method further comprises exerting a driving force on the thermalized analyte ions to drive them towards the mass analyzer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the driving force is exerted by one of a direct current electric field gradient established along an ion path in the ion guide, Coulomb repulsion from analyte ions subsequently entering the ion guide, and a drag force produced by movement of the interaction gas from a point along the ion path at which the interaction gas is supplied to the ion guide.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) comprises applying extraction voltages between substantially 0 volts and 500 volts.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises applying operating voltages to the ion guide with frequencies between about 0.2 and 20 megahertz and amplitudes between substantially 0 volts and 10 kilovolts peak-to-peak.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in step (c), the interaction gas is a collision gas with molecules that have non-fragmenting collisions with the analyte ions.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the interaction gas is helium.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in step (c), the interaction gas is a chemically reactive gas that chemically modifies the analyte ions.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the interaction gas is one of methane and ammonia.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step (d), the pressure of the interaction gas in the ion guide reaches a maximum at a position of an inlet through which the interaction gas is supplied to the ion guide, and is reduced at other positions in the ion guide.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the maximum pressure of the interaction gas is substantially between 10 −1 and 10 Pascal.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein in, step (b), the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions are configured and step (d) is performed so that less than ten percent of the analyte ions are fragmented in the ion guide.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) comprises generating the analyte ions from analyte molecules entrained in a gas supplied to the ion source from a gas chromatograph.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ion source is maintained in a first pressure area having a pressure between substantially about 10 −4 and 1 Pascal.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the ion guide and the mass analyzer are located in a second pressure area having a pressure between substantially 10 −5 and 10 −1 Pascal.

18. A mass spectrometer maintained in a sub-atmospheric pressure regime, comprising:

An ion source for generating analyte ions, the ion source having an ion source volume comprising a plurality of subvolumes and an ion exit through which the analyte ions are extracted via extraction voltages, wherein the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions of the ion exit are configured so that analyte ions generated in substantially all of the subvolumes of the ion source volume are extracted and an energy distribution width of the extracted analyte ions is maximized;

a mass analyzer; and

an ion guide that receives the extracted analyte ions and transmits them to the mass analyzer, the ion guide being filled with an interaction gas, wherein at least one of an inner width of the ion guide, operating voltages applied to the ion guide, a length of the ion guide, and a pressure of the interaction gas are configured so that the analyte ion energy distribution width is narrowed and the analyte ions are collimated within the ion guide.

19. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions of the ion exit are configured so that a number of extracted analyte ions is maximized.

20. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the extraction voltages and geometrical dimensions of the ion exit and at least one of the inner width of the ion guide, the operating voltages applied to the ion guide, the length of the ion guide, and the pressure of the interaction gas are configured such that the analyte ion energy distribution width is narrowed in a direction of ion travel.

21. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the ion guide is a multipole ion guide.

22. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the ion guide is curved along a direction of ion travel.

23. The mass spectrometer of claim 22 , wherein the ion guide is curved with an angle of curvature between substantially 30° and 180°.

24. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the ion guide is constructed as a tube.

25. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the mass analyzer comprises a primary mass filter, a fragmentation cell for collision induced dissociation, and a secondary mass filter.

26. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the portion of the ion guide through which the extracted analyte ions pass has a square cross section.

27. The mass spectrometer of claim 26 , wherein the mass analyzer has an inlet with an inlet area, the ion guide has an exit area from which the extracted analyte ions exit the ion guide and wherein the exit area is smaller than the inlet area.

28. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the ion guide has an entrance, an exit and an interaction gas inlet centered between the ion guide entrance and the ion guide exit.

29. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the extracted analyte ions travel through the ion guide along a path having a length of substantially between 5 and 35 centimeters.

30. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 , wherein the ion exit has a cross sectional area, through which the analyte ions are extracted, of between 0.25 and 400 mm 2 .

31. The mass spectrometer of claim 18 wherein the ion exit comprises a tube lens with a tube to which pull voltages are supplied.

32. The mass spectrometer of claim 31 , wherein the geometrical dimensions of the ion exit include an inner radius and rim contour of the tube.