Einzel lens

An einzel lens (from German: Einzellinse – single lens), or unipotential lens, is a charged particle electrostatic lens that focuses without changing the energy of the beam. It consists of three or more sets of cylindrical or rectangular apertures or tubes in series along an axis. It is used in ion optics to focus ions in flight, which is accomplished through manipulation of the electric field in the path of the ions. An einzel lens (from German: Einzellinse – single lens), or unipotential lens, is a charged particle electrostatic lens that focuses without changing the energy of the beam. It consists of three or more sets of cylindrical or rectangular apertures or tubes in series along an axis. It is used in ion optics to focus ions in flight, which is accomplished through manipulation of the electric field in the path of the ions. The electrostatic potential in the lens is symmetric, so the ions will regain their initial energy on exiting the lens, although the velocity of the outer particles will be altered such that they converge on to the axis. This causes the outer particles to arrive at the focus intersection slightly later than the ones that travel along a straight path, as they have to travel an extra distance.