Vacuum chamber assembly with multiple functions to maximize universality and performance

A vacuum chamber assembly device for transferring the at least one of gas phase analyte ions and charged particles, through use of one or more of a plurality of ports, into an analyzer device for purposes of analysis of one or more samples, said samples comprising analyte, and wherein;

• the said gas phase ions and the said charged particles comprise one of excess positive or excess negative charges, and whereby the said charged particles also comprise the at least one of said analyte and a matrix molecule, and wherein;
• the said vacuum chamber assembly device comprises a wall having an interior surface and exterior surface, the said interior surface resides at sub-atmospheric pressure and defines a conduit having a first end and a second end, and wherein the said sub-atmospheric pressure is higher than that of the first vacuum region of the said analyzer device to which the said vacuum chamber assembly is interfaced through a port, such that the said sub-atmospheric pressure within the said analyzer device is in fluid communication with the said conduit, and wherein the said exterior surface resides substantially at atmospheric pressure, and wherein;
• the said vacuum chamber assembly device also comprises additional ports, wherein the said additional ports provide a means of communicating between the interior of the said conduit residing at the said sub-atmospheric pressure and the substantially atmospheric pressure external to the said vacuum chamber assembly device, and wherein;
• the said ions and the charged particles produced in at least one of atmospheric pressure and sub-atmospheric pressure are transferred therefrom through one or more of the said ports and through the said conduit and into the said analyzer device aided by one or more of gas flow and electrical fields, and wherein;
• the said gas phase charged particles undergo loss of the said matrix molecules during transfer from the point of origin into the said analyzer device to release additional gas phase bare ions before separation by one of mass-to-charge in a mass analyzer or mobility in an ion mobility analyzer, and wherein;
• the said vacuum chamber assembly device comprising the said plurality of ports is capable of transferring one or more of the gas phase ions and the said charged particles produced by one or more of atmospheric pressure ionization, inlet ionization, and vacuum ionization methods, as well as means to facilitate gas phase ion and charged particle formation and transfer through at least one of the said ports.