Parallel elemental and molecular mass spectrometry analysis with laser ablation sampling

US9412574B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• WESTFÄLISCHE WILHELMS-UNIVERSITÄT MÜNSTER · DE

Inventors

• Christina Koeppen · Munster, DE
• Olga Reifschneider · Schemmerhofen, DE
• Christoph Wehe · Bremen, DE
• Michael Sperling · Arlington, US
• Uwe Karst · Munster, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 2014
• Grant date: Aug 9, 2016
• Expiry date: Jan 28, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J49/107
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus for mass spectrometry includes a laser ablation sampler comprising a laser ablation chamber and a laser which produces a laser beam. The laser irradiates and ablates a material from a sample placed within the laser ablation chamber so as to generate an ablated sample material. A transfer tube system comprising transfer tubes connect the laser ablation sample with, and provides a parallel and simultaneous transport of the ablated sample material to, each of a soft and a hard ionization source. The soft and hard ionization sources interact with the ablated sample material to respectively generate ion populations having a mass-to-charge ratio distribution. These respective mass-to-charge ratio distributions are respectively transmitted to a molecular mass spectrometer and to an elemental mass spectrometer which provide information on the mass-to-charge ratio distribution. The mass-to-charge ratio distributions are used to characterize a composition of the ablated sample material.