3. Directly Coupled Ion Funnel
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Research Collection Doctoral Thesis Investigation of Ion Transmission in Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry for Different Configurations of a Vacuum Interface Author(s): Egorova, Tatiana Publication Date: 2013 Permanent Link: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-010049947 Rights / License: In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted This page was generated automatically upon download from the ETH Zurich Research Collection. For more information please consult the Terms of use. ETH Library Diss. ETH No 21690 Investigation of Ion Transmission in Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry for Different Configurations of a Vacuum Interface A dissertation submitted to attain the degree of DOCTOR OF SCIENCES of ETH ZURICH Dr. sc. ETH Zurich) Presented by TATIANA EGOROVA born 13th February 1983 citizen of Russian Federation accepted on the recommendation of prof. Detlef Günther prof. Wendelin Stark dr. Bodo Hattendorf 2013 2 Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Zusammenfassung ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 1.1. The Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer........................................................................................ 13 1.2. Sample introduction systems for ICPMS ................................................................................................................. 14 1.3. Inductively Coupled Plasma as Ion Source .............................................................................................................. 15 1.4. The ICPMS Vacuum Interface........................................................................................................................................ 17 1.5. Improving Ion Transmission of the conventional Vacuum Interface ........................................................ 24 1.6. The Ion Funnel ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25 2. Characteristics of an ion funnel coupled to the vacuum interface of an ICP MS ....................................................... 29 2.1. Experimental ....................................................................................................................................................................... 29 2.2. Results and Discussion. .................................................................................................................................................... 32 2.3. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................................................... 41 3. Directly Coupled Ion Funnel ................................................................................................................................................................ 42 3.1. Experimental ....................................................................................................................................................................... 42 3.2. Plasma Expansion ............................................................................................................................................................. 46 3.3. DC Influence ......................................................................................................................................................................... 47 3.4. RF Influence .......................................................................................................................................................................... 49 3.5. Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................... 49 4. Additional Extraction Interface .......................................................................................................................................................... 51 4.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................... 51 4.2. Experimental ........................................................................................................................................................................ 51 4.3. Results and Discussions ................................................................................................................................................... 61 4.4. Angular Resolved Current Measurements ............................................................................................................. 68 4.5. Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................................................... 74 5. Plasma Extraction through a Nozzle Interface. ........................................................................................................................... 77 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................ 77 5.2 Experimental ............................................................................................................................................................................. 78 5.3 Results and discussion ........................................................................................................................................................... 81 5.4 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 99 6. Conclusion and Outlook ..................................................................................................................................................................... 103 7. Reference List ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 107 8. Appendix ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 113 8.1. SimIon simulations parameters: .............................................................................................................................................. 113 8.2. Reflections of the plasma from the cylindrical detector............................................................................................... 115 9. Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................. 117 10. Curriculum Vitae ................................................................................................................................................................................... 119 3 4 I. Abstract This work has investigated several approaches to improve ion transmission efficiency and thus sensitivity in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In a first step, properties of an electrodynamic ion funnel as an ion guide were investigated. Such ion funnel setups were found very efficient for electro spray ionization mass spectrometry instruments, where up to 100 % ions ion transmission was obtained in previous studies. It consists of a stack of ring electrodes with successively decreasing inner diameter and superimposed DC gradient along its axis and an RF field. The RF field creates a so called effective potential near the electrodes and potential-week region in the center of the funnel. Ions are thermalized by collisions and fall towards the centerline of the funnel while the DC gradient accelerates them towards the funnel exit. This configuration achieves a large acceptance area and effective focusing to a narrower conductance-limiting aperture. Higher operating pressures in comparison to common multipole ion guides additionally leads to efficient collisional thermalization of ions. The adaption of an ion funnel as ion guide for ions extracted from an atmospheric inductively coupled plasma ion source was investigated in different approaches. Initial tests had shown for the first time that an ion funnel of specific geometry can be utilized to transfer also elemental ions through the 2nd vacuum stage of a modified commercial ICPMS instrument. However, at optimized conditions, ion transmission was found to be lower in average by one order of magnitude