Abstract
Time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOFMS) had once been considered inferior to other types of mass spectrometers in key performance figures such as mass resolving power and mass accuracy. The discovery and development of soft laser desorption method and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) prompted the new development of TOFMS. Backed by the new techniques such as delayed extraction and rapid progress in high speed digital electronics, TOFMS is now considered as one of the main streams in mass spectrometry.
