# US 12,217,953 B2 · Ion source and mass spectrometer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,217,953 B2 - Document ID: US12217953B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/781,449 - Filed: 2020-10-15 - Published: 2023-01-05 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-19 - Assignees: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation - Applicants: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation - Inventors: Hideki Hasegawa; Masuyuki Sugiyama; Yuichiro Hashimoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12217953B2 ## CPC - H01J 49/0404: {Capillaries used for transferring samples or ions (electrospray nozzles H01J49/167)} - H01J 49/167: {Capillaries and nozzles specially adapted therefor; (electrostatic spraying per se B05B5/00)} - G01N 27/623: combined with mass spectrometry - H01J 49/0445: {with means for introducing as a spray, a jet or an aerosol (electrospray ion sources H01J49/165)} - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract Provided are an ion source and a mass spectrometer that reduce a dead volume of the connecting part of a pipe to a capillary. An ion source has a capillary and a pipe. The capillary has a large-diameter part that forms a capillary upstream-side end face on an upstream side. The large-diameter part has a large-diameter part downstream side face on a downstream side. The pipe has a pipe downstream end face on the downstream side. A capillary retaining unit has a hole through which the capillary downstream-side end face is passable and a face on which the large-diameter part downstream side face is installable. The ion source includes a pipe retaining unit that retains the pipe. The capillary retaining unit and the pipe retaining unit are disposed such that the capillary upstream-side end face contacts the pipe downstream end face to connect the capillary to the pipe. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ion source comprising: a capillary into which a sample liquid solution is introduced, the capillary being configured to supply an ion or a droplet; and a pipe configured to supply a sample liquid solution to the capillary, wherein: the capillary has a capillary upstream-side end face on an upstream side, and has a capillary downstream-side end face on a downstream side, and an outer diameter of the capillary upstream-side end face is greater than an outer diameter of the capillary downstream-side end face; the capillary has a large-diameter part that forms the capillary upstream-side end face on the upstream side, and the large-diameter part has a large-diameter part downstream side face on the downstream side; the pipe has a pipe downstream end face on the downstream side; the ion source includes a capillary retaining unit configured to retain the capillary, the capillary retaining unit having an upstream end and a downstream end; the capillary retaining unit has a hole proximate to the upstream end of the capillary retaining unit through which the capillary downstream-side end face is passable and has a face on which the large-diameter part downstream side face is installable; the ion source includes a pipe retaining unit configured to retain the pipe; and the capillary retaining unit and the pipe retaining unit are disposed such that the capillary upstream-side end face contacts the pipe downstream end face to connect the capillary to the pipe, wherein the capillary retaining unit hole comprises a tapered part, the tapered part having a wider diameter at the upstream end of the capillary retaining unit and tapering to a narrower diameter downstream of the upstream end of the capillary retaining unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ion source according to claim 1, wherein the capillary retaining unit is coupled to the pipe retaining unit through a direct-acting mechanism. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The ion source according to claim 2, wherein the direct-acting mechanism is a screwing mechanism. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ion source according to claim 1, wherein the capillary retaining unit or the pipe retaining unit includes an elastic member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The ion source according to claim 4, wherein the elastic member is a spring. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The ion source according to claim 4, wherein a positioning face of the capillary retaining unit is joined to a positioning face the pipe retaining unit, thereby the capillary retaining unit and the pipe retaining unit are positioned to each other and fixed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ion source according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the capillary upstream-side end face or the pipe downstream end face has a resin layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ion source according to claim 1, wherein a rotation prevention mechanism configured to prevent relative rotation between the pipe and the capillary is included. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The ion source according to claim 1, wherein: the pipe retaining unit and the capillary retaining unit both have a conductive member; and the ion source includes a unit configured to make an electric potential of the conductive member of the pipe retaining unit and an electric potential of the conductive member of the capillary retaining unit equal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ion source according to claim 1, wherein the capillary retaining unit has a gas spray pipe. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A mass spectrometer comprising the ion source according to claim 1.