Design and construction of a hand-held ion mobility spectrometer

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a sensitive and strong technique broadly employed for the detection of narcotics, chemical warfare agents and so on [1]. Its advantages and disadvantages are discussed with particular reference to the feasibility of hand-held instrumentation [2]. There are a number of developments that have been directed towards overcoming the identified weak points. Hand-held ion mobility spectrometer was designed and manufactured for the first time in Iranian Space Research Center, Institute of Materials and Energy located in Esfahan by overcoming all difficulties in this way. The resulting hand-held ion mobility spectrometer with uniqe Mini- IMS Cell proved to be a more sensitive, reliable, and rugged tool than existing IMS technology with fast warm up times. For iranian space research center, the improved IMS device could be used for future missions, or as a space-saving tool to monitor air quality on the Space. On the Earth, the applications are proving even more varied and beneficial. It was used for public safety, as well as high-purity process gas analysis for semiconductor manufacturing. The IMS readily detects damaging moisture in the special gasses used during the manufacturing process. Other industrial applications include cleanroom air monitoring and the detection of toxic gasses produced during industrial processes.This paper describes the design and construction of a hand-held ion mobility spectrometer designed for such applications and its characterization by evaluation of the detection limits and resolution of the system for this aplication.