Mass Spectrometer

A mass spectrometer usually consists of the following components

  1. an inlet system
  2. ion source
  3. mass analyzer
  4. ion collection/detection system
  5. data handling system

More modern and compact instruments sometimes combine some of the separater functionalities in one component (locality), e.g., an ion-trap system is a source for the ions and a mass analyzer at the same time.

Some examples of mass spectrometer components are:

Ion Source

  1. Electron Impact Ionizer (EI)
  2. Chemical Ionization (CI)
  3. Field Ionization (FI)
  4. Field Desorption (FD)
  5. Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB)
  6. Ion Bombardment (IB)
  7. Plasma Desorption (PD)
  8. Laser Desorption (LD)
  9. Thermal Surface Ionization (TSI)

Mass Analyzers/Ion Selectors

  1. Magnetic Sector Mass Analyzer (SMA)
  2. Electrostatic Sector (ES)
  3. Double Focusing Mass Analyzer (DFA)
  4. Time of Flight Mass Analyzer (TOF)
  5. Quadrupole Mass Analyzer (QMA)

Detectors

  1. Faraday Cup Collector
  2. Electron Multiplier Detector
  3. Channel Electron Multiplier Array
  4. Photographic Plate

Combinations

  1. Ion Trap
  2. Ion Cyclotron
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