Ion source for IMS based on wire-to-plate corona discharge

In this paper, an ion source based on wire-to-plate corona is developed for Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS). The characteristics of the corona discharge and the ion current detected on Faraday plate are investigated under different electrode spacing and voltage. The effect of voltage polarity is also studied. The features of this new designed ion source are compared with that of point-to-plate corona. The results show that the present IMS prototype machine can provide a much larger value of ion current connected by Faraday plate than the point-to-plate corona and/or the traditional 63Ni source. The corona configuration can also act as a good electromagnetic shielding to defense the electromagnetic emission from the corona discharge.