Influence of the RF drive potential on the acceptance behavior of pure quadrupole mass filters operated in stability zones A and B

Abstract

The quadrupole acceptance of sinusoidal mass filters has been an area of interest for over fifty years. More recently, frequency dynamic rectangular waveform driven mass filters (colloquially digital mass filters) have been demonstrated. The acceptance of these devices has not been investigated. Commonly the acceptance of a quadrupole mass filter is calculated using the method of ellipses. Earlier this year, our group introduced an alternative method of calculating acceptance planes. The plane method is a simple and fast approach compared to ellipses. In this work, sinusoidal and digital RF driven mass filters modeled in stability zones A and B are explored using the plane method. The acceptance behavior of systems in zone B differ greatly from their zone A counterparts. There are considerable differences between the mass filter types operated in zone B. The type of RF drive potential plays an important role in the behavior of filters modeled in zone B.