Patent ID: 8274735
Filing Date: 2012-09-25
Classification: B23K,G01N

Abstract:
1. A demountable sample ablation cell for laser ablation analysis comprising a chamber which is larger than a solid sample placed within said chamber, said chamber having interior walls which define a confined space proximal to a surface of said solid sample placed within said chamber, said confined space receiving a plume of ablated particles, aerosol, smoke, and/or vapors from said surface of said solid sample when a focused laser beam impinging on said surface of said solid sample exceeds a damage threshold of said surface of said solid sample and results in said particles, aerosol, smoke, and or vapors being ablated from said surface of said solid sample, and in which at least one inlet port through at least one of said interior walls of said chamber enables a flow of at least one carrier gas to enter said chamber through said at least one inlet port, and in which at least one outlet port through at least one of said interior walls of said chamber enables said flow of said carrier gas to exit said chamber carrying said plume of said ablated particles, aerosol, smoke, and/or vapors out of said chamber through said outlet port and into a conveyance passage leading to an external analyzer, and in which at least two vertically stacked mating components of said chamber of said demountable sample ablation cell for laser ablation analysis enable said chamber to open by unstacking at least one of said at least two vertically stacked mating components to allow insertion of said solid sample into said chamber, and in which said chamber closes to confine said solid sample within said chamber and form at least one gas seal by vertically re-stacking said at least one of said at least two mating components of said chamber without using fasteners, pins, tie downs, latches, clamps, snaps, screws, bolts or any other fastener or twisting, latching, or clamping means or motion or vacuum, and in which assembly and gas sealing of said sample ablation cell are achieved exclusively by stacking said at least two mated components vertically, and demounting is exclusively by unstacking at least one of said at least two mated components without need of twisting or removing or releasing any fastener, screw, bolt, nut, latch, or clamp, or vacuum, and in which said at least one gas seal enables said at least one carrier gas flowing through said chamber of said sample ablation cell to purge atmospheric gases from said sample ablation cell and prevent re-entry of atmospheric gases into said sample ablation cell, and in which at least one component of said sample ablation cell is a window permitting transmission entry of a laser beam with rays converging focally at, or in proximity to, said surface of said solid sample placed within said sample ablation cell, and in which the irradiance of said laser beam at, or proximal to, said solid sample surface exceeds a damage threshold of said solid sample surface, and in which said laser beam exceeding said damage threshold ablates material from said solid sample surface producing a plume of ablated particles, vapors, and/or smoke from said solid sample surface, and in which said at least one carrier gas flowing through said ablation cell sweeps said plume of said ablated particles, vapors, and/or smoke out of said ablation cell and carries a consistent fraction of said ablated particles, vapors, and/or smoke to an external analyzer.