Development of a high-voltage radio frequency power supply for quadrupole mass spectrometers with a wide dynamic measurement range

Abstract

The core component of a quadrupole mass spectrometer is the quadrupole mass filter, serving a crucial role in ion analysis. It operates by applying two sets of high-voltage, high-frequency signals with equal amplitude and opposing phases through the radio frequency power supply, capitalizing on variations in the electric field and differences in mass-to-charge ratios to separate incoming ions. This study leverages direct digital frequency synthesis technology and multi-stage voltage amplification techniques to design a tailored radio frequency power supply for quadrupole mass spectrometers with a broad mass range. Practical testing demonstrates that this power supply generates radio frequency high-voltage signals with a peak-to-peak voltage ranging from 2.210 V to 4.220 kV at a resonant frequency of 1.240 MHz, facilitating the separation of ions with distinct m/z values. Furthermore, the radio frequency power supply is integrated into a Self-developed quadrupole mass spectrometer, enabling an assessment of the mass range, resolution, stability of the spectrometer. The results of these assessments confirm that the developed power supply accommodates scanning of m/z value ions in the range of 1 to 1067 while maintaining an absolute resolution of less than m/z = 1 units and an instrument stability of 2.00% over four hours.and keywords.