Method for mass spectrometric examination of gas mixtures and mass spectrometer therefor

Abstract

A method includes parallel or serial ionization of a gas mixture by activating at least two ionization devices operating using different ionization procedures, and/or by ionizing the gas mixture in a detector to which the gas mixture and ions and/or metastable particles of an ionization gas are fed. The method also includes detecting the ionized gas mixture in the detector for the mass spectrometric examination thereof. A mass spectrometer for mass spectrometric examination of gas mixtures includes an ionization unit for ionizing a gas mixture and a detector for detecting the ionized gas mixture.

1 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method, comprising:
 using first and second ionization devices to ionize a gas mixture, the first ionization device ionizing the gas mixture via a first ionization procedure, and the second ionization device ionizing the gas mixture via a second ionization procedure which is different from the first ionization procedure; and   detecting the ionized gas mixture to mass spectrometrically examine the gas mixture.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first and second ionization devices ionize the gas mixture in parallel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first and second ionization devices ionize the gas mixture in series. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the gas mixture comprises particles having an atomic mass number of between 100 and 20,000. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the gas mixture comprises particles having an atomic mass number between 20,000 and 2,000,000. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising setting an ionization energy based on the gas mixture. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first ionization procedure comprises an ionization procedure selected from the group consisting of charge exchange ionization, electron impact ionization, ionization via a filament, field ionization, ionization via pulsed laser, photon ionization, UV light ionization, VUV light ionization and EUV light ionization. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first ionization device comprises a plasma ionization device to ionize the gas mixture. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the plasma ionization device uses dielectric barrier to product a plasma. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the plasma ionization device produces a radiofrequency plasma. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the plasma ionization device produces a direct current plasma. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising, prior to ionizing the gas mixture, using the plasma ionization device to produce a plasma to clean to at least one member selected from the group consisting of a detector used to detect the ionized gas mixture, a measurement chamber, and at least one of the ionization devices. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein cleaning comprises using a plasma gas to transform contaminants in the at least one member into the gas phase, and removing the contaminants from the at least one member. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising, while cleaning the at least one member, using a further ionization procedure to transform the contaminants to the gas phase in addition to producing a plasma. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising, prior to ionizing the gas mixture, using the plasma ionization device to produce a plasma to clean a measurement chamber at a pressure of between one bar and 1×10 −1 ° millibar. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein detecting the ionized gas mixture comprises providing the ionized gas mixture into a member selected from the consisting of a quadrupole detector and an ion trap. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein detecting the ionized gas mixture comprises providing the ionized gas mixture into a member selected from the group consisting of a Fourier transform ion trap, a Penning trap, a toroidal trap, a Paul trap, a linear trap, an orbitrap, an electron beam ion trap, and a RF buncher. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising feeding to a detector, and then ionizing via the detector, the gas mixture and/or metastable particles produced ionization of the gas mixture by the first and/or second ionization devices. 
     
     
         35 . A mass spectrometer, comprising:
 an ionization unit, comprising:
 a first ionization device configured to ionize a gas mixture via a first ionization procedure; and 
 a second ionization device configured to ionize a gas mixture via a second ionization procedure different from the first ionization procedure; and 
   a detector configured to detect the ionized gas mixture.   
     
     
         36 . The mass spectrometer of  claim 35 , wherein the ionization unit is configured so that, during use of the mass spectrometer, the first and second ionization devices are individually activated. 
     
     
         37 . The mass spectrometer, wherein the ionization unit is configured so that, during use of the mass spectrometer, the first and second ionization devices are activated together. 
     
     
         38 . The mass spectrometer of  claim 35 , wherein the first ionization device comprises an ionization device selected from the group consisting of a charge exchange ionization device, a plasma ionization device, an electron impact ionization device, a field ionization device, a laser ionization device, a photon ionization device, a UV light ionization device, a VUV light ionization device, and EUV light ionization device. 
     
     
         39 . The mass spectrometer of  claim 35 , wherein the first ionization device comprises a plasma ionization device selected from the group consisting of a high frequency plasma source, a medium frequency plasma source, a direct current plasma source, a dielectric barrier discharge plasma source, an atmospheric pressure plasma source, and a corona discharge plasma source. 
     
     
         40 . The mass spectrometer of  claim 35 , further comprising an ion trap configured to accumulate the ionized gas mixture. 
     
     
         41 . The mass spectrometer of  claim 40 , wherein the ion trap is selected from the group consisting of a Fourier transform ion trap, a Penning trap, a toroidal trap, a Paul trap, a linear trap, an orbitrap, an electron beam ion trap, and a RF buncher. 
     
     
         42 . The mass spectrometer of  claim 35 , wherein the first ionization device is configured to provide ions and/or metastable particles of an ionization gas to the detector to ionize the gas mixture in the detector.