Discharge chambers and ionization devices, methods and systems using them
AssigneePerkinElmer Scientific Canada ULC
InventorsMehrnaz Sarrafzadeh, Gholamreza Javahery, Charles Jolliffe, Lisa Cousins
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Abstract
Certain configurations of plasma discharge chambers and plasma ionization sources comprising a plasma discharge chamber are described. In some examples, the discharge chamber comprises a conductive area and is configured to sustain a plasma discharge within the discharge chamber. In other examples, the discharge chamber comprises at least one inlet configured to receive a plasma gas and at least one outlet configured to provide ionized analyte from the discharge chamber. Systems and methods using the discharge chambers are also described.
Claims20
A method comprising ionizing an analyte by:
- introducing the analyte into a plasma discharge sustained within a discharge chamber comprising a first electrode configured to couple to a power source, wherein the discharge chamber comprises at least one inlet to receive a plasma gas and at least one outlet to provide ionized analyte from the discharge chamber, wherein the at least one inlet is coupled to the at least one outlet through a bend to remove interfering species from the ionized analyte, wherein the at least one inlet is present in a first region of the discharge chamber and the at least one outlet is outside the first region of the discharge chamber, and wherein the plasma discharge is sustained within the discharge chamber by providing a voltage to the first electrode in the presence of a plasma gas introduced into the discharge chamber through the at least one inlet of the discharge chamber, wherein the introduced analyte is ionized using a first plasma gas;
- and
- permitting the ionized analyte to exit the discharge chamber through the at least one outlet prior to introduction of a second analyte into the discharge chamber.
An ionization source comprising:
- a first discharge chamber configured to receive a sample from a sample introduction device, the first discharge chamber comprising:
- a first electrode,
- at least one inlet to receive a plasma gas, and
- at least one outlet to provide ionized analyte from the first discharge chamber,
- wherein the at least one inlet is present in a first region of the first discharge chamber and the at least one outlet is outside the first region of the first discharge chamber, and wherein the first discharge chamber is configured to sustain a first plasma discharge in the presence of a plasma gas introduced into the first discharge chamber through the at least one inlet of the first discharge chamber;
- and
- a second discharge chamber arranged parallel to the first discharge chamber and configured to receive the sample from the sample introduction device, the second discharge chamber comprising:
- a second electrode,
- at least one inlet to receive a plasma gas, and
- at least one outlet to provide ionized analyte from the second discharge chamber,
- wherein the at least one inlet of the second discharge chamber is present in a first region of the second discharge chamber and the at least one outlet is outside the first region of the second discharge chamber, and wherein the second discharge chamber is configured to sustain a second plasma discharge in the presence of a plasma gas introduced into the second discharge chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.