Plenary: Award for a Distinguished Contribution in Mass Spectrometry Richard D. Smith, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Monday, 4:45 – 5:30 pm, Exhibit Hall A

The electrodynamic ion funnel developed in the laboratory of Dr. Richard Smith at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been an important factor in the increasing sensitivity of mass spectrometry instruments.

The ion funnel was originally created in the Smith laboratory in 1997 to replace ion transmission-limited skimmers and to efficiently capture ions in the expanding gas jet while radially focusing them. It proved to be a broadly applicable tool for ion focusing and manipulation at elevated pressures that challenged conventional approaches. Although it has undergone several iterations in the last 15 years, the defining features of the ion funnel have not changed: closely spaced ring electrodes of gradually decreasing inner diameter, out-of-phase RF potentials applied to adjacent electrodes, and a longitudinally-applied DC gradient.

The ion funnel was originally created in the Smith laboratory in 1997 to replace ion transmission-limited skimmers and to efficiently capture ions in the expanding gas jet while radially focusing them. It proved to be a broadly applicable tool for ion focusing and manipulation at elevated pressures that challenged conventional approaches. Although it has undergone several iterations in the last 15 years, the defining features of the ion funnel have not changed: closely spaced ring electrodes of gradually decreasing inner diameter, out-of-phase RF potentials applied to adjacent electrodes, and a longitudinally-applied DC gradient.