Pulsed operation of a liquid metal ion source

Short ion pulses (100 ns FWHM) have been produced from an In liquid metal ion source (LMIS) of the needle type by superimposing short voltage pulses (500 ns) onto a subcritical extraction field. Extractor-pulsed LMIS are thought to be useful as primary ion sources in time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers, particularly for space applications, where extended charge life time and reduced power consumption are of great importance.