HORIBA PARTNERSHIP
Joint development of TOF-MS products with Kore
The Horiba Corporation of Japan have for some time maintained an association with Kore Technology Ltd taking an interest in our unique compact-TOF-MS technology, which is effective in the measurement of VOCs. In order to reinforce this mutual cooperation, Horiba have recently agreed to conclude a two year joint development contract with Kore for two types of compact and low cost TOF-MS products.
SHRINKING SIMS
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOFSIMS) is highly sensitive and provides a wealth of information on the chemical composition and structure of the very top surface layers of a solid material. Unfortunately in TOFSIMS there is not a broad range of commercially available equipment - $800,000 is the starting price for high performance imaging instruments.
At Kore we believe that many routine applications of TOFSIMS could be more cost-effectively served by simpler, cheaper equipment. As a result, we have developed the MS-1000. Unlike high- performance machines, it is unable to produce chemical images and is slightly more limited in flexibility. However, it is small, easy to use, reliable and cheap. The basic MS-1000 costs $80,000 and has potential as a rapid quality assurance tool of high sensitivity giving specific, accurate results.
Ideally a radical new instrument like MS-1000 should be exposed to a variety of applications to indicate its capabilities as well as limitations. At Kore we are working towards targeting and developing such applications, pursuing the analysis of insulating materials with the Institute of Surface Science and Technology at the University of Loughborough, England and focussing on semiconductor materials applications with the Horiba Corporation of Japan.
PORTABLE GC-MS
On-site monitoring of volatile and semi-volatile hydrocarbons in air can be achieved with a Portable Gas Chromatograph. Linking the GC with the analytical capability of a mass spectrometer provides an additional and reliable dimension to the analysis and identification of unknown compounds. Kore has developed a fast-coupling assembly that links our T-CAT portable membrane-inlet time-of-flight mass spectrometer with the Sentex Systems Corporation of the USA's Portable Gas Chromatograph to provide an on-site GC-MS system. This linked module approach gives the user the power of a fully portable GC-MS with the flexibility of using the GC or the MS as a stand-alone instrument.
SWEDISH SPACE GUN
We specialise in designing individually engineered instruments that provide solutions to customers' measurement or analysis problems. A recent example of such a project is an electron gun we designed and built for the Swedish Space Agency(IRF).
The European Space Agency commissioned IRF to produce electron spectrometers for use in the upper atmosphere and deep space. IRF required a test source to calibrate their equipment prior to flight. Kore was the only company in the world who was able to take on the challenge of an electron gun with such exceptional dynamic range. The gun emits electrons in parallel paths to the nearest 0.20 over an 8cm diameter beam, with a current density continuously variable over seven orders of magnitude. One of the challenges was to keep the electron trajectories parallel over the full range of energies(100ev to 100Kev) without compromising a third specification-that of uniform current density over the full beam diameter.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN GALILEO SCIENTIFIC DETECTORS
Kore sells and technically supports Galileo Corporation's Scientific Detector products in Europe. Some of the recent developments in Galileo Detectors are made possible because MCPs (microchannelplates) are capable of matching the performance of electron multipliers while only occupying one tenth of the vacuum space.
A new sub miniature detector has been developed which provides high gain(>10 million) ion detection within a small detector package(14mm diameter x 5.75mm high).
This detector can be baked, operated in analogue or pulse counting modes and provides a linear output current exceeding 1 micro-amp. As such it provides a viable alternative to a single channel electron multiplier particularly in restricted space applications such as field portable leak detectors.
An ultra-small low profile MCP detector has been developed for field portable time-of-flight mass spectrometers. This detector has a 8mm active diameter with a low profile matched impedance conical anode to provide sub-ns pulse widths. Galileo has also developed their novel 18mm active diameter MCP replaceable cartridge time-of-flight mass spectrometer detector to allow both positive and negative ion detection in a low profile package.
All these detectors use Galileo's 5 micron diameter pores offering the highest channel density available for dynamic range improvements of 10 times over conventional MCPs.
Kore has successfully introduced Galileo's Labsense™ program to a number of UK laboratories that regularly replace Channeltron® detectors in their mass spectrometers. Galileo manufactures replacement detectors for virtually every commercial mass spectrometer and by enrolling in the Labsense™ program these are available ex-stock from Kore at considerable savings off standard list prices.
Top
Last updated: Wednesday, September 14, 2005, 17:43
© Kore Technology Limited 2005