Charge-state-derivation ion detection using a super-conducting nanostructure device for mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a method of analyzing ions based on their mass/charge (m/z) ratios. The m/z peak identification requires speculation on the ionic unit-charge states. This problem can be solved by using superconducting junction devices to measure the kinetic energies of single molecules. However, the kinetic energy measurement is followed by the dead time of 1-20 µs, which is fatally slow for modern high-resolution time-of-flight (TOF) analyzers. In this paper, we demonstrate that a superconducting nano-stripline detector (SSLD) composed of a 10-nm-thick and 800-nm-wide NbN strip realizes the charge-state derivation, and furthermore satisfies the ideal MS detector specifications such as a nano-second response, a short recovery time, a wide mass range, and no noise.