High throughput mass spectrometer with laser desorption ionization ion source
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorGanggiang Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high-throughput laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometer has been developed and is described herein. The mass spectrometer employs an ion source that has a plurality of lasers firing in tandem at one or more samples to increase the rate at which ion packets are generated by the ion source.
Claims43
An ion source for a mass spectrometer comprising a timing control circuit, a first laser in operable relation to the timing control circuit, and a second laser in operable relation to the timing control circuit, said timing control circuit capable of:
- a) firing the first laser,
- b) triggering an extraction pulse,
- c) firing the second laser after the first laser has been fired,
- d) triggering another extraction pulse, and
- e) repeating steps a) through d) at least once.
An ion source comprising a sample plate having multiple sample sites and a plurality of lasers in operable relation to the sample plate, the lasers being controlled via a timing control circuit, the timing control circuit capable of firing the lasers consecutively, thereby producing a series of laser pulses, each laser pulse having a corresponding extraction pulse which occurs prior to the next laser pulse in the series, each extraction pulse capable of delivering ions generated by the firing of the laser to a mass analyzer in operable relation to the high throughput MALDI source.
A mass spectrometer comprising a timing control circuit, a first laser in operable relation to the timing control circuit, and a second laser in operable relation to the timing control circuit, said timing control circuit capable of:
- a) firing the first laser to generate a laser pulse,
- b) triggering an extraction pulse,
- c) firing the second laser to generate a laser pulse after the first laser has been fired,
- d) triggering another extraction pulse, and
- e) repeating steps a) through d) at least once.
A method of introducing ion packets into a mass analyzer in a mass spectrometer, the method comprising:
- a) directing a pulse of laser radiation from a first laser onto a first sample to produce a first ion packet,
- b) producing an extraction pulse capable of introducuig the first ion packet into the mass analyzer,
- c) after step a), detecting a pulse of laser radiation from a second laser onto said first sample or onto a second sample to produce a second ion packet;
- d) producing an extraction pulse capable of introducing the second ion packet into the mass analyzer, and
- e) repeating steps a) through d) at least once.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.