Plasma-based photon source, ion source, and related systems and methods
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorsMark Denning, Guthrie Partridge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photon source includes a plasma source for generating plasma and a photon guide through which the plasma travels. The photon guide includes an inner surface configured for reflecting photons emitted from the plasma. As the plasma travels through the photon guide, plasma electrons and ions recombine at the inner surface, whereby the predominant species emitted from an outlet of the photon guide are the photons and neutral particles, with few or no plasma electrons and ions being emitted.
Claims20
A photo-ionization (PI) apparatus, comprising:
- a plasma source comprising a housing enclosing a source interior and a plasma outlet communicating with the source interior;
- a photon guide comprising an inlet end communicating with the plasma outlet for receiving plasma including photons generated thereby, an outlet end, and a wall having a length along a guide axis and enclosing a guide interior, wherein the wall comprises an inner surface configured for reflecting the photons;
- and
- a sample conduit positioned to direct a flow of sample material into a path of the photons.
(canceled)
A method for ionizing a sample, the method comprising:
- generating plasma in a plasma source;
- forming a reduced-density plasma by flowing the plasma from the plasma source through a hollow photon guide comprising an inner surface configured for reflecting photons of the plasma, wherein ions and electrons of the plasma recombine at the inner surface while the photons are reflected from the inner surface;
- directing the photons of the reduced-density plasma toward an outlet end of the photon guide and into an ionization region;
- and
- introducing the sample into the ionization region.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.