Importance

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Abstract

A focal plane detector assembly of a mass spectrometer includes an ion detector configured to detect ions crossing a focal plane of the spectrometer and an electrically conductive mesh lying in a plane parallel to the focal plane, positioned such that ions exiting a magnet of the mass spectrometer pass through the mesh before contacting the ion detector. The mesh is maintained at a low voltage potential, relative to a circuit ground, which shields ions passing through the magnet from high voltage charges from other devices, such as microchannel plate electron multipliers. The mesh may be mounted directly to the magnet or positioned some distance away. The detector array may include any suitable device, including a faraday cup detector array, a strip charge detector array, or a CCD detector array.

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First Claim