# US 2019/0355564 A1 · Laser ablation cell

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- Number: US 2019/0355564 A1
- Document ID: US20190355564A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/394,859
- Filed: 2019-04-25
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-22
- Assignees: ETH Zurich; Paul Scherrer Institut
- Applicants: Eth ZüRich; Paul Scherrer Institut
- Inventors: Detlef Günther; Daniel Grolimund; Hao Wang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190355564A1

## CPC

- H01J 49/105: {using high-frequency excitation, e.g. microwave excitation, Inductively Coupled Plasma [ICP]}
- G01N 33/57515: of the breast
- G01N 33/60: involving radioactive labelled substances
- G01N 33/6848: {Methods of protein analysis involving mass spectrometry}
- H01J 49/0004: {Imaging particle spectrometry}
- H01J 49/0031: {Step by step routines describing the use of the apparatus (H01J49/0081 takes precedence)}
- H01J 49/04: Arrangements for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed, e.g. vacuum locks; Arrangements for external adjustment of electron- or ion-optical components
- H01J 49/0409: {Sample holders or containers (containers for retaining a material to be analyzed, B01L3/50, for DNA, C12Q1/6834, for biological materials, G01N33/543)}
- H01J 49/0459: {for solid samples}
- H01J 49/0463: {Desorption by laser or particle beam, followed by ionisation as a separate step (sample holder per se H01J49/0418)}
- H01J 49/40: Time-of-flight spectrometers (H01J49/36 takes precedence)
- 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

A laser ablation cell (1) comprises a flow channel (11) having an essentially constant cross-sectional area so as to ensure a strictly laminar flow in the flow channel. A sample chamber (21) is provided adjacent to a lateral opening (14) of the flow channel. A laser beam (41) enters the sample chamber (21) through a lateral window (16) and impinges on a surface (24) of a sample (23) to ablate material from the sample. The sample may be positioned in such a distance from the flow channel that the laser-generated aerosol mass distribution has its center within the flow channel. This leads to short aerosol washout times. The laser ablation cell is particularly well suited for aerosol generation in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), including imaging applications.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-29. (canceled)

### Claim 30

A system comprising:
a laser ablation cell top comprising a flow channel;
wherein the flow channel extends from a gas inlet to a gas outlet;
wherein the flow channel comprises a lateral opening and a lateral window;
wherein the cell top is separate from a cell bottom that forms a sample chamber.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The system of claim 30, wherein the cell top is removable from the cell bottom.

### Claim 32 (depends on 30)

The system of claim 30, further comprising the cell bottom.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the flow channel of the cell top and the sample chamber of the cell bottom are separated by a separating wall.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the lateral opening is formed in the separating wall.

### Claim 35 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, further comprising a laser adapted to shoot a laser beam through both the lateral window and the lateral opening of the ablation cell and impinge on the surface of a sample received by the sample chamber to generate a plume from the sample.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the sample chamber comprises a positioning device.

### Claim 37 (depends on 30)

The system of claim 30, further comprising an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch coupled to the gas outlet of the flow channel.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The system of claim 37, further comprising a mass analyzer coupled to the ICP torch.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The system of claim 38, wherein the mass analyzer is a time-of-flight mass analyzer.

### Claim 40 (depends on 30)

The system of claim 30, wherein the flow channel is a tube cell.

### Claim 41 (depends on 35)

The system of claim 35, wherein the laser ablation cell is adapted to have a washout time of 100 ms or less.