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A high-efficiency real-time digital signal averager for time-of-flight mass spectrometry
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 14:44 authored by Yinan Wang, Hui Xu, Qingjiang Li, Nan Li, Huang Zhengxu, Zhen Zhou, Husheng Liu, Zhaolin Sun, Hongqi Yu, Haijun Liu, David D.-U Li, Xi Wang, Xiuzhen Dong, Wei GaoRATIONALE Analog-to-digital converter (ADC)-based acquisition systems are widely applied in time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOFMS) due to their ability to record the signal intensity of all ions within the same pulse. However, the acquisition system raises the requirement for data throughput, along with increasing the conversion rate and resolution of the ADC. It is therefore of considerable interest to develop a high-performance real-time acquisition system, which can relieve the limitation of data throughput. METHODS We present in this work a high-efficiency real-time digital signal averager, consisting of a signal conditioner, a data conversion module and a signal processing module. Two optimization strategies are implemented using field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to enhance the efficiency of the real-time processing. A pipeline procedure is used to reduce the time consumption of the accumulation strategy. To realize continuous data transfer, a high-efficiency transmission strategy is developed, based on a ping-pong procedure. RESULTS The digital signal averager features good responsiveness, analog bandwidth and dynamic performance. The optimal effective number of bits reaches 6.7 bits. For a 32 µs record length, the averager can realize 100% efficiency with an extraction frequency below 31.23 kHz by modifying the number of accumulation steps. In unit time, the averager yields superior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared with data accumulation in a computer. CONCLUSIONS The digital signal averager is combined with a vacuum ultraviolet single-photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-SPI-TOFMS). The efficiency of the real-time processing is tested by analyzing the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from ordinary printed materials. In these experiments, 22 kinds of compounds are detected, and the dynamic range exceeds 3 orders of magnitude. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Rapid Communications in Mass SpectrometryISSN
0951-4198Publisher
John Wiley & SonsExternal DOI
Issue
10Volume
27Page range
1155-1167Department affiliated with
- Engineering and Design Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-04-18Usage metrics
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