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Published on: July 27, 2018
A new detector for mass spectrometry: direct detection of low energy ions using a multi-pixel photon counter
Edward S Wilman1, Sara H Gardiner, Andrei Nomerotski
1Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
A new type of ion detector for mass spectrometry and general detection of low energy ions is presented. The detector consists of a scintillator optically coupled to a single-photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD) array. A prototype sensor has been constructed from a LYSO (Lu(1.8)Y(0.2)SiO(5)(Ce)) scintillator crystal coupled to a commercial SPAD array detector. As proof of concept, the detector is used to record the time-of-flight mass spectra of butanone and carbon disulphide, and the dependence of detection sensitivity on the ion kinetic energy is characterised.
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