Laser Ablation Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry—Storage Field Suppression and its Effect Upon Analytical Performance

Abstract

The combination of laser desorption and ablation with mass spectrometry has been, and will continue to be, a useful marriage of technologies. Quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry, which has evolved from a simple mass selective detector for gas chromatography to a high performance analytical tool over the last decade, is being coupled more frequently with desorption sources, such as lasers and particle beams. The present work addresses a shortcoming of the use of laser sampling with quadrupole ion traps: laser ablation of samples directly within the storage volume of the trap can lead to suppression of the RF storage field, thereby reducing ion-trapping efficiency during the ionization event. A systematic examination of the phenomenon has been conducted and the advantages of selective injection or ionization methods, such as resonant laser ablation, for elimination of this problem are presented.

Cryogenic ion trapping systems with surface-electrode traps

“…We found that a compatible ion source can be obtained through a laser ablation method, which was demonstrated in earlier experiments. 9,10,11,12,13 Though care must be taken to provide appropriate thermal anchoring and isolation, it is possible to use all conventional ion sources, including photoionization and electron impact ionization of atoms produced by an oven. In this paper we focus on laser ablation because it is simple and able to load a variety of species.…”