Patent ID: 7534997

Claim:
A mass spectrometer sample input interface comprising: a desolvation apparatus defining a desolvation pathway along which a desolvation gas flows, in a direction from upstream to downstream, the desolvation pathway having a desolvation pathway portion, the desolvation apparatus including a sample entrance and a sample exit, the sample exit being disposed downstream, relative to the sample entrance; and an ion pathway apparatus for defining an ion pathway for analyte solution droplets to follow, the ion pathway leading into the mass spectrometer, the ion pathway including an ion pathway portion that follows the desolvation pathway portion and that runs from the sample entrance to the sample exit; wherein: the desolvation apparatus includes first and second desolvation pathway members, disposed so as to define the desolvation pathway therebetween; the ion pathway apparatus includes a first orifice within the first desolvation pathway member, the first orifice serving as the sample entrance, the ion pathway apparatus further includes a second orifice within the second desolvation pathway member, the second orifice serving as the sample exit; the second orifice is downstream of the first orifice along the desolvation pathway at an axial offset relative to the first orifice, such that the ion pathway portion leads from the first orifice, along the desolvation pathway portion, to the second orifice; and wherein the ion pathway apparatus further includes an orifice adjustment apparatus for adjusting the positions of the first and second orifices relative to each other so as to (i) change the axial offset of the second orifice relative to the first orifice, and (ii) change a distance between the first and second desolvation pathway members.