A simple and cost-effective high voltage radio frequency driver for multipolar ion guides

Multipolar RF ion traps are widely used in mass spectrometry for guiding ion beams and are fundamental tools to study ion–molecule reactions in the near thermal and sub-thermal regime. A flexible, cheap and reliable RF power source can be obtained by using a home-made matching network to couple the ion guide to a commercial RF power supply.In this paper we describe the design and the construction of a RF power supply for driving two octopole ion guides at the same time. Details on the design and the practical building of the matching network are discussed.Performances of the apparatus are demonstrated by measuring transmission curves for Helium, Neon and Argon ions.