Simple high-resolution Bradbury–Nielsen mass gate

Abstract

The selection of targets with specific masses, including molecules, atoms, and clusters, has broad applications in spectrometry. As an ion mass-gate with a very high resolution, Bradbury–Nielsen Gates (BNGs) are widely used in the study of size-dependent effects of clusters. Here, wepresent a simple and low-cost method for fabricating high resolution BNGs using a printed circuit board and a 3D printed wire winding and transfer tool. It can produce a pitch of 400 µm with 25 µm diameter tungsten wires. The test results indicate that its resolution reaches more than 1500 when it couples with a homemade ultrafast voltage switch.