Apparatus for simultaneous detection of positive and negative ions in ion mobility spectrometry

Claim 1

In means for characterizing the mobility of ions by measuring the drift time of ions urged by a field gradient through a drift region containing non-ionized gas whose molecules have a mean free path many times smaller than said drift region, an improvement for characterizing the mobility of both negative and positive ions from a common sample mixed with a carrier gas comprising: a first drift region; a second drift region; a reaction region centrally located between said first and second drift regions; a first shutter grid separating said reaction region from said first drift region and normally biased to prevent positive ions from passing therethrough; a second shutter grid separating said reaction region from said second drift region and normally biased to prevent negative ions from passing therethrough; entrance means for allowing molecules of said sample and carrier to enter said reaction region; means primarily ionizing the molecules of said carrier in said reaction region, the molecules of said sample being secondarily ionized within said reaction region by collisions with the ionized carrier molecules whereby said ionized carrier molecules are deionized; first ion detector means in said first drift region opposite said first shutter grid for deionizing positive ions arriving thereat and providing an output signal indicative of said deionized positive ions; second ion detector means in said second drift region opposite said second shutter grid for deionizing negative ions arriving thereat and providing an output signal indicative of said deionized negative ions; means for impressing a field gradient from said first means to said second means whereby positive ions are urged toward said first means and negative ions toward said second means; means for momentarily biasing said first shutter grid to allow positive ions to pass therethrough from said reaction region into said first drift region and for momentarily biasing said second shutter grid to allow negative ions to pass therethrough from said reaction region into said second drift region whereby positive ions are urged by said field gradient through said first drift region to said first ion detector means where they are detected and whereby negative ions are urged by said field gradient through said second drift region to said second ion detector means where they are detected; and means noting the elapsed time between the biasing of said first shutter grid and the detection of positive ions at said first means for characterizing the mobility of said positive ions and for noting the elapsed time between the biasing of said second shutter grid and the detection of negative ions at said second means for characterizing the mobility of said negative ions.