Extension of the focusable mass range in distance-of-flight mass spectrometry with multiple detectors

Distance-of-flight mass spectrometry (DOFMS) is a velocity-based mass separation technique in which ions are spread across a spatially selective detector according to m/z. In this work, we investigate the practical mass range available for DOFMS with a finite-length detector.

A glow-discharge DOFMS instrument has been constructed for the analysis of atomic ions. This instrument was modified to accommodate two spatially selective ion detectors, arranged co-linearly, along the mass-separation axis of the analyzer. With this geometry, each detector covers a different portion of the distance-of-flight spectrum and ions are detected simultaneously at the two detectors. The total flight distance covered by the two detectors is 106 mm and simulates DOF detection across a broad mass range.

DOFMS theory predicts that ions of all m/z values are focused at a single flight time, but at m/z-dependent flight distances. Therefore, ions that are detected across a wide portion of the DOF axis should all yield the same peak widths. With a focal-plane camera detector and a micro-channel plate/phosphor-screen detection assembly, we found simultaneous, uniform focus of (40)Ar(2)(+) and of (65)Cu(+) and (63)Cu(+) with the ions spread 82 mm across the DOF axis. This detection length, combined with the current instrument geometry, allows for a simultaneously detectable m/z value of 4:3 (high mass-to-low mass).

These results are the first experimental verification that constant-momentum acceleration (CMA)-DOFMS provides energy focus across an extended detection length. Evidence presented demonstrates that DOFMS is amenable to detection with (at least) a 100-mm detector surface. These results indicate that DOFMS is well suited for detection of broader mass ranges.