Patent ID: 8242459

Claim:
A device for desorption and ionization, comprising: a gas source for providing gas having pressure greater than one unit of atmospheric pressure; a gas flow tube for transferring the gas from the gas source; a gas flow heater for heating up the gas from the gas source; a metal tube connected to the gas flow tube through the gas flow heater for transferring the heated gas to its exit of the metal tube, the metal tube having a sharply pointed tip at the exit; a direct current (DC) voltage supply for supplying a high voltage to the metal tube; and a sample holder for holding a sample in front of the tip of the metal tube and being adjacent to an inlet of a mass spectrometer, wherein when the high voltage from the DC voltage supply is applied to the metal tube, a corona beam is formed from the heated gas at the tip of the metal tube and extends towards the surface of the sample, whereby at least portions of the sample are desorbed and then ionized by reactions with energized particles from the corona beam.