A high resolution dual mass gate for ion separation in laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry

A dual mass gate is described which allows for high resolution separation of ions under realistic laser desorption/ionization and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry conditions at 10 kV kinetic energy. The device consists of two interleaved comb units sequentially positioned in the ion beam path. This allows significant improvement in resolution relative to one unit by separation of “low pass” and “high pass” functions. Principal limits as given by mechanical dimensions of the device and electrical properties of the switches are also discussed.