Improved electron ionization ion source for the detection of supersonic molecular beams

An improved electron ionization (EI) ion source is described, based on the modification of a Brink-type EI ion source through the addition of a second cage with a fine mesh outside the ion chamber. The added outer cage shields the inner ion cage (ionization zone) against the penetration of the filament and electron repeller potentials, and thus results in the provision of ions with narrower ion energy distribution, hence improved ion-beam quality. The closer to zero electrical field inside the ion cage enables improved filtration (rejection) of ions that are produced from vacuum background compounds, based on difference in ion energies of beam and background species. The improved background ion filtration and ion-beam quality resulted in 2.6 times higher mass spectrometric ion signal, combined with 6.4 times better signal to noise ratio, in comparison with the same ion source having a single cage. The dual cage ion source further provides a smaller or no reduction of the electron emission current upon lowering the electron energy for achieving softer EI and/or electron attachment ionization. It also improves the long-term mass spectral and signal reproducibility and enables fast, automated change of the electron energy. Consequently, the dual cage EI ion source is especially effective for use with gas chromatography mass spectrometry with supersonic molecular beams (SMB), liquid chromatography mass spectrometry with SMB, ion guns with SMB, and any other experimental systems with SMB or nonthermal molecular beams. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.