Laser desorption, ablation, and ionization system for mass spectrometry analysis of samples including organic and inorganic materials

A system for performing sample analysis, the system comprising:

• a vacuum chamber;
• a sample holder disposed within the vacuum chamber;
• a first laser source to produce a first beam in the infrared range, the first beam for desorbing organic material from a sample when retained by the sample holder;
• an optical assembly including:
• a filter assembly to modify beams produced by the first laser source to produce a second beam in the ultraviolet range, the second beam for ablating inorganic material from the sample when retained by the sample holder;
• and
• optical elements positioned to direct each of the first beam and the second beam at a common angle of incidence relative to the sample holder whereby when the sample is retained by the sample holder, the first beam and the second beam are directed onto a common location of the sample without repositioning the sample relative to the first laser source;
• a second laser source to produce ionization beams for ionizing organic material when desorbed from the sample by the first beam to produce ionized organic material and for ionizing inorganic material when ablated form the sample by the second beam, resulting in ionized organic material and ionized inorganic material, respectively;
• and
• a mass spectrometer in communication with the vacuum chamber to analyze each of the ionized organic material and the ionized inorganic material.