An inductively coupled plasma—time-of-flight mass spectrometer for elemental analysis. Part I: Optimization and characteristics

An inductively coupled plasma—time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ICP-TOFMS) has been constructed and evaluated for elemental analysis. The instrument produces analog spectra similar to those from quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers. The large abundance of Ar ions is deflected away from the microchannel plate detector to reduce detector dead time and space-charge complications. The ICP-TOFMS, operated in a linear (nonreflecting) mode, currently has a resolving power of 500 (full width at half maximum). Present ion optics employed in the instrument require a trade-off between signal-to-noise ratio and resolving power. In addition, mass-dependent kinetic energies in the supersonic beam created in the ICP mass spectrometer interface cause a mass bias in the right-angle TOFMS because the ions must be steered to the detector to compensate for their velocity in the supersonic beam direction. In the current design the sampling duty cycle is only approximately 3%, thereby limiting sensitivity. However, positive potentials applied to the right-angle extraction region can increase sensitivity by a factor of 2–4 by slowing down the ions that enter the extraction zone. The transmission efficiency of the TOFMS is approximately 20% and is limited by divergence of the ion packet in the drift tube.