Charged particle spectrum analysis apparatus

1. A charged particle spectrum analysis apparatus comprising:

a controller comprising a data processor and a memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions for causing the data processor to output control signals,

an electric field generator arranged to subject charged particles to a time-varying electric field, and

a detector to record charged particle time spectrum data of charged particles which have passed through the electric field, the detector comprising a position-sensitive detection portion,

wherein, pursuant to the output control signals from the data processor,

the time-varying electric field is activated in synchrony with activation of the detector, and

the time-varying electric field subjects a predetermined region of said detection portion to consecutive charged particle deflection cycles, each of said deflection cycles comprising a sweep of deflected charged particles over the predetermined region, and

the detector is repeatedly activated in synchrony with the electric field to record the particles of each sweep in a consecutive repeating manner over a single mass spectrum.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electric field generator is arranged to generate a cyclic electric field, the magnitude of which increases with time in each cycle.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the electric field generator is arranged to generate a cyclic ramped electric field.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises an image sensor arranged to record images of distributions of charged particles.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the image sensor is arranged to record images of distributions of charged particles impinging on the position-sensitive detection portion.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a frame rate of the image sensor is arranged to be in synchrony with the time-varying electric field.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a clock rate of the image sensor is arranged to be in synchrony with the time-varying electric field.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electric field generator is arranged such that a deflection imparted by the electric field to the charged particles is in a predetermined direction.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the predetermined direction is substantially parallel to a direction of alignment of pixels of an image sensor of the detector.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is arranged to convert a stream of sample ions into a stream of electrons, and the electric field generator is arranged to subject electrons to the time-varying electric field.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a micro-channel plate arrangement to convert the sample ions into a stream of electrons.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electric field generator is arranged to subject sample ions to a time-varying electric field.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is a time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

14. A method of charged particle spectrum analysis comprising the steps of:

subjecting charged particles to a time-varying electric field;

activating a detector to record charged particle time spectrum data of the charged particles which have passed through the field; and

activating the time-varying electric field in synchrony with the detector, the detector comprising a position-sensitive detection portion;

wherein the time-varying electric field is arranged to subject a predetermined region of said detection portion to consecutive charged particle deflection cycles,

wherein each of said deflection cycles comprises a sweep of deflected charged particles over the predetermined region, and

wherein the detector is repeatedly activated in synchrony with the electric field to record the particles of each sweep in a consecutive repeating manner, over a single mass spectrum.