Lithographically patterned substrates are a viable pathway to fabricating highly miniaturized ion traps for mass spectrometry. These results also demonstrate the possibility of significant reduction of the ion trap volume without physical modification of the electrodes. These experiments show promise for further miniaturization using assemblies of patterned ceramic plates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper presents a method for characterizing electric field profiles of radio frequency (rf) quadrupole ion trap structures using sensors based on slab coupled optical-fiber sensor (SCOS) technology. The all-dielectric and virtually optical fiber-sized SCOS fits within the compact environment required for ion traps and is able to distinguish electric field orientation and amplitude with minimal perturbation. Measurement of the fields offers insight into the functionality of traps, which may not be obtainable solely by performing simulations. The SCOS accurately mapped the well-known field profiles within a commercially available three-dimensional quadrupole ion trap (Paul trap). The results of this test allowed the SCOS to map the more complicated fields within the coaxial ion trap with a high degree of confidence as to the accuracy of the measurement. Figure ᅟ

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