Method and apparatus for generating ions from thermally unstable, non-volatile, large molecules, particularly for a mass spectrometer such as a time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Apparatus for generating ions from thermally unstable, non-volatile, large molecules, for a a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, comprising:

• a means for generating a carrier gas jet having an exit opening for delivering the carrier gas jet;
• a specimen carrier on which a specimen material is applied, arranged in the proximity of the exit opening;
• an energy source for the desorbtion of molecules from the specimen material;
• a means for introducing specimen material into the carrier gas jet;
• a means for gating the carrier gas jet with specimen material introduced therein into a particle beam;
• an ionization chamber having an entry opening and an exit opening for the particle beam;
• and
• an electron source arranged such that the electron beam produced by said electron source is focused onto the path of the particle beam inside the ionization chamber.

Apparatus for generating ions from thermally unstable, non-volatile, large molecules, for a mass spectrometer, comprising:

• a means for generating a jet of carrier gas, the means for generating having an exit opening for delivering the jet;
• a specimen carrier on which a specimen material is applied arranged in the proximity of the exit opening;
• an energy source for the desorbtion of molecules from the specimen material;
• a means for introducing specimen material into the carrier gas jet creating a mixture of carrier gas and specimen material;
• an ionization chamber having an entry opening for passage of the mixture therein and an exit opening for passage of the mixture thereout;
• an electron source arranged such that the electron beam produced by said electron source is focused onto the path of the mixture inside the ionization chamber;
• and
• a photon source arranged to focus a photon beam onto the path of the mixture inside the ionization chamber both said electron source and said photon source being used to ionize the mixture for analysis.