US 11,705,319 B2
Discharge chambers and ionization devices, methods and systems using them
Mehrnaz Sarrafzadeh, Toronto (CA); Gholamreza Javahery, Kettleby (CA); Charles Jolliffe, Schomberg (CA); and Lisa Cousins, Henderson, NV (US)
Assigned to PerkinElmer Scientific Canada ULC, Woodbridge (CA)
Filed by PERKINELMER HEALTH SCIENCES CANADA, INC., Woodbridge (CA)
Filed on Jun. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/340,041.
Application 17/340,041 is a continuation of application No. 16/408,680, filed on May 10, 2019, granted, now 11,031,227.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/673,513, filed on May 18, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0102130 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. H01J 49/12 (2006.01); H01J 49/10 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 49/123 (2013.01) [H01J 37/32009 (2013.01); H01J 49/107 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising ionizing an analyte by:
introducing the analyte into a plasma discharge sustained within a discharge chamber comprising a first electrode configured to couple to a power source, wherein the discharge chamber comprises at least one inlet to receive a plasma gas and at least one outlet to provide ionized analyte from the discharge chamber, wherein the at least one inlet is coupled to the at least one outlet through a bend to remove interfering species from the ionized analyte, wherein the at least one inlet is present in a first region of the discharge chamber and the at least one outlet is outside the first region of the discharge chamber, and wherein the plasma discharge is sustained within the discharge chamber by providing a voltage to the first electrode in the presence of a plasma gas introduced into the discharge chamber through the at least one inlet of the discharge chamber, wherein the introduced analyte is ionized using a first plasma gas; and
permitting the ionized analyte to exit the discharge chamber through the at least one outlet prior to introduction of a second analyte into the discharge chamber.