Simultaneous direct detection of sub keV molecular and atomic ions with a delta-doped charge-coupled device at the focal plane of a miniature mass spectrometer

摘要

A delta-doped charge-coupled device (CCD) was used for the simultaneous and direct detection of low-energy atomic and molecular ions dispersed along the focal plane of a miniature mass spectrometer (MMS). The measured detection threshold for charged particles with a delta-doped CCD has been extended down to 700 eV, representing over an order of magnitude improvement compared to conventional solid-state detectors. We report the direct detection of 700 eV energy ions by the mass spectral measurements of species such as iron pentacarbonyl. The combination of delta-doped CCD and MMS enables high-speed, precision mass spectrometry of ions and molecules on a small scale suitable for field and space applications.