A stable femtosecond laser ablation instrument
The femtosecond laser ablation instrument, with its four-layer three-dimensional structure and graded shockproof design, solves the problems of unstable light spot and vibration sensitivity, achieving optical path stability and precise sample positioning, and is more adaptable.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAICHEMLABINSTRUMENTCO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
Existing femtosecond laser ablation equipment suffers from large laser size and weight, non-compact structure, resulting in unstable laser spot, poor sample repeatability, sensitivity to environmental vibration, and high requirements for laboratory site selection.
The laser ablation system adopts a four-layer three-dimensional structure design, which divides the laser ablation system into an electrical layer, a laser layer, a sample layer, and a scanning optical path layer. It also adopts a graded anti-vibration design, including vibration isolation legs, honeycomb core optical breadboard and marble tabletop, combined with rubber vibration isolation pads and high damping materials to reduce the impact of vibration.
It achieves stability and collimation of the optical path, reduces the equipment's sensitivity to environmental vibrations, improves the repeatability of sample positioning and detection efficiency, and has greater adaptability.
Smart Images
Figure CN224327980U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of laser ablation mass spectrometry detection technology, and particularly relates to a stable femtosecond laser ablation instrument. Background Technology
[0002] Mass spectrometry instruments are widely used in materials science, chemistry, biology, geology, environmental science, and other fields. Based on different principles and applications, mass spectrometers are classified into ionization mass spectrometry, high-energy ion bombardment mass spectrometry, magnetic resonance mass spectrometry, time-of-flight mass spectrometry, fast atomic bombardment mass spectrometry, and plasma mass spectrometry, among others.
[0003] With the increasing maturity of laser ablation systems, laser ablation provides a faster way for direct solid sample introduction. When used in conjunction with mass spectrometry, it has great advantages in the analysis of trace, ultra-trace elements and isotopes. It has not only played an important role in the development of micro-area technology in earth sciences, but has also extended to fields such as materials science, marine science, and life sciences.
[0004] Femtosecond laser ablation is popular in the market due to its advantages such as low thermal accumulation effect, small sample size, and fast ablation speed. Femtosecond laser ablation and mass spectrometry instruments ablate sample surfaces using femtosecond lasers, producing particles as small as nanometers. These nanoparticles form aerosols with carrier gas. An air particle sampler filters the aerosols and collects them for mass spectrometry analysis. Unlike traditional laser ablation systems, femtosecond laser ablation equipment often suffers from large laser size and weight, complex optical paths, and less compact structures, leading to unstable focused spots, poor sample repeatability, and sensitivity to environmental vibrations, requiring precise laboratory site selection. Utility Model Content
[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to design a four-layer three-dimensional structure with four levels of vibration resistance for femtosecond laser ablation, rationally allocate the three-dimensional spatial volume, and divide the instrument components of the laser ablation system into an electrical layer, a laser layer, a sample layer, and a scanning optical path layer. For the four-layer three-dimensional structure, a graded vibration resistance design is adopted to achieve the effect of optical path stability.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a stable femtosecond laser ablation instrument, comprising, from bottom to top, an electrical layer, a laser layer, a sample layer, and a scanning optical path layer;
[0007] The electrical layer includes four vibration isolation legs, an electrical cabinet, and a laser power supply; the electrical cabinet is fixed between the four vibration isolation legs; the laser power supply is located in the electrical cabinet; the vibration isolation legs include anti-vibration wheels and rubber anti-vibration support frames, with the anti-vibration wheels located below the rubber anti-vibration support frames;
[0008] The laser layer includes a honeycomb core optical breadboard and a laser; the honeycomb core optical breadboard is fixedly connected by vibration isolation pads and vibration isolation legs; the laser is disposed on the honeycomb core optical breadboard.
[0009] The sample layer includes a first marble tabletop and a sample chamber; the first marble tabletop is fixedly disposed above the laser layer, and the sample chamber is disposed on the first marble tabletop.
[0010] The scanning optical path layer includes a second marble tabletop, a scanning galvanometer, a focusing lens, and a galvanometer front optical path assembly; the second marble tabletop and the first marble tabletop are fixedly connected by a support structure; the scanning galvanometer and the galvanometer front optical path assembly are disposed on the second marble tabletop; the focusing lens is disposed below the second marble tabletop, and the focusing lens and the scanning galvanometer are connected through the second marble tabletop;
[0011] The laser power supply and the laser are electrically connected; the laser beam emitted by the laser is sent to the optical path component in front of the galvanometer through a cross-layer optical path component, and then focused on the surface of the sample in the sample chamber through the scanning galvanometer and the focusing lens.
[0012] Preferably, the optical path assembly in front of the galvanometer includes an energy attenuator, a beam expander, and a collimation detection assembly; the cross-layer optical path assembly includes a cross-layer conduit and two reflectors.
[0013] Preferably, the vibration isolation pad includes at least one of a high-damping rubber vibration isolation pad or an air-floating vibration isolation pad.
[0014] Preferably, the shock-absorbing wheel includes a swivel wheel and a shock-absorbing spring; the shock-absorbing wheel and the rubber shock-absorbing support frame are fixedly connected by a rubber pad.
[0015] Preferably, the collimation detection component includes a four-quadrant camera, or the collimation detection component includes an optical fiber and a power meter.
[0016] Preferably, the scanning galvanometer is connected to the focusing lens via a rotating nose.
[0017] Preferably, the rotating nose is fixed on a Z-axis moving platform.
[0018] Preferably, the sample chamber is provided with a translation stage; the translation stage is used to place the sample, and the sample chamber is also provided with a sampling device for delivering sample aerosol particles.
[0019] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:
[0020] (1) This utility model adopts a four-layer, four-level anti-vibration design, which is conducive to optical path stability and collimation; rubber can block the vibration of the ground and electrical layer; honeycomb core optical breadboard can reduce the vibration of the flat components; marble has a small rigidity coefficient and heavy weight, and low natural frequency, making the equipment more stable.
[0021] (2) This utility model can check the collimation in real time through an optical fiber or a four-quadrant camera and play an energy monitoring role;
[0022] (3) This utility model uses two-dimensional galvanometer scanning, which can perform large-area sampling on the sample surface; the components for checking the collimation of the optical path, such as the imaging unit, are placed in front of the two-dimensional galvanometer, which can reduce the impact on the quality of the beam scanning.
[0023] (4) This utility model has the advantage of small thermal accumulation effect through femtosecond laser ablation. It can achieve large-area sampling by combining with scanning galvanometer. After being sent out in the form of aerosol, it can be connected to mass spectrometer or other analytical instruments for simultaneous analysis of multiple instruments, and can perform rapid and efficient detection. Attached Figure Description
[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0026] One of the core features of this invention is the design of a four-layer three-dimensional structure with four levels of vibration resistance for femtosecond laser ablation. The three-dimensional space volume is rationally allocated, and the instrument components of the laser ablation system are divided into an electrical layer, a laser layer, a sample layer, and a scanning optical path layer. The four-layer three-dimensional structure adopts a graded vibration resistance design to achieve the effect of optical path stability.
[0027] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0028] like Figure 1As shown, the stable femtosecond laser ablation instrument consists of a four-layer cabinet-style platform, which is divided into four layers from bottom to top, as follows:
[0029] The first layer is the electrical layer, supported by four vibration-damping legs, forming the first level of vibration isolation. The electrical cabinet at the bottom is fixed between the four vibration-damping legs and houses the laser power supply 3 and circuit signal control components 4, such as the circuit control board. Each vibration-damping leg includes a vibration-damping wheel 1 (a caster wheel with shock-absorbing springs) and a retractable rubber vibration-damping support frame 2, which are fixedly connected by rubber pads. The vibration-damping wheel 1 acts as a shock absorber to prevent changes in the optical path during equipment movement; the rubber vibration-damping support frame 2 helps to fix the equipment position and isolates the effects of ground vibrations. It also isolates the electrical equipment vibrations that may occur when the laser source 3 in the electrical cabinet supplies power to the laser 7. A high-damping rubber vibration-damping pad 51 or an air-floating vibration-damping pad 52 is installed at the upper end of the vibration-damping leg as a second level of vibration isolation to support instruments above the second layer.
[0030] The second layer is the laser layer. The supporting platform of the second layer is the honeycomb core optical breadboard 6, which has a damping and shockproof function as the third level of shockproof. The laser 7 is placed on the honeycomb core optical breadboard 6. The laser output from the laser 7 is emitted to the upper layer through the reflector 81, the interlayer pipe 9 and the reflector 82. The reflector 81 is set in the second layer structure, the interlayer pipe 9 spans the third layer structure, and the reflector 82 is set in the fourth layer structure.
[0031] The third layer is the sample layer, and its supporting platform is a marble tabletop 10 as the fourth level of shock absorption. The marble tabletop 10 is fixedly installed above the second layer. The third layer includes a translation stage 12 of the XYZ axes, a sealed sample chamber 13, and a sampling device (not shown in the figure, which can send the aerosol particles generated by laser ablation out of the sample chamber 13 to subsequent detection instruments, etc.). The translation stage 12 is set in the sample chamber 13, and other sample-related instrument components can also be set in this layer.
[0032] The fourth layer is the scanning optical path layer, supported by a marble platform 11. Marble platforms 10 and 11 are fixedly connected by a support structure, and the marble platform 11 also provides fourth-level shock resistance. The fourth layer includes an energy attenuator 14, a beam expander 15, a scanning galvanometer 16 (two-axis or three-axis), a focusing lens 17 (located below the marble platform 11 and connected to the scanning galvanometer 16 above it; the marble platform 11 has corresponding through holes), and a collimation detection component 18 (such as a four-quadrant camera or other imaging element used to check and monitor optical path collimation). After entering the fourth layer, the laser beam passes through the reflector 82, the energy attenuator 14, the beam expander 15, and the collimation detection component 18 before reaching the scanning galvanometer 16. It then passes through the focusing lens 17 and is focused onto the surface of the sample in the sample chamber 13. The collimation detection component 18 is positioned in front of the scanning galvanometer 16 to reduce its impact on the beam scanning quality.
[0033] When the system collimates the optical path, collimation marks are set at the starting position and the focusing position of the optical path, respectively. Collimation is performed using a four-quadrant camera or the starting position is coupled to a power meter through an optical fiber. The amount of optical path drift can be determined by the power level.
[0034] This embodiment employs a four-layer, four-level shockproof design, which is beneficial for optical path stability and collimation. Rubber vibration-damping legs can block the vibration effects of ground and electrical layer vibrations. The honeycomb core optical breadboard 6 can reduce the vibration impact between the flat components. The marble has a low rigidity coefficient, high weight, and low natural frequency, making the equipment more stable. Optical path collimation is also checked in real time via fiber optic or four-quadrant cameras, which also serve as energy monitoring.
[0035] This embodiment employs two-dimensional galvanometer scanning and femtosecond laser ablation, which has a small thermal accumulation effect and can perform high-speed, large-area sampling on the sample surface. The total amount of aerosol particles provided in this way is far greater than that of traditional single-point laser ablation. The sample components can be simultaneously analyzed by multiple instruments such as mass spectrometers or other analytical instruments, enabling rapid and efficient detection.
[0036] In this embodiment, the laser 7 used as the laser ablation analysis instrument is a femtosecond laser, but it is not limited to this. In other embodiments, those skilled in the art may use picosecond / nanosecond lasers as needed. In this embodiment, a three-dimensional translation stage 12 in XYZ is provided in the sample chamber 13, and a cup-shaped sampling head is provided above the translation stage 12. In other embodiments, those skilled in the art may use other structural sample chambers and sampling devices as needed. The scanning galvanometer 16 is connected to the focusing lens 17, and a rotating nose is used to load objective lenses of different magnifications, including lenses with magnifications of 2X, 5X, 10X, 20X, and 50X. In a preferred embodiment, the rotating nose is fixed on a linear motor or piezoelectric ceramic moving platform, which can move and focus the objective lens in the Z-axis direction.
[0037] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A stable femtosecond laser ablation instrument, characterized in that, It includes, from bottom to top, an electrical layer, a laser layer, a sample layer, and a scanning optical path layer; The electrical layer includes four vibration isolation legs, an electrical cabinet, and a laser power supply; the electrical cabinet is fixed between the four vibration isolation legs; the laser power supply is located in the electrical cabinet; the vibration isolation legs include anti-vibration wheels and rubber anti-vibration support frames, with the anti-vibration wheels located below the rubber anti-vibration support frames; The laser layer includes a honeycomb core optical breadboard and a laser; the honeycomb core optical breadboard is fixedly connected by vibration isolation pads and vibration isolation legs; the laser is disposed on the honeycomb core optical breadboard. The sample layer includes a first marble tabletop and a sample chamber; the first marble tabletop is fixedly disposed above the laser layer, and the sample chamber is disposed on the first marble tabletop. The scanning optical path layer includes a second marble tabletop, a scanning galvanometer, a focusing lens, and a galvanometer front optical path assembly; the second marble tabletop and the first marble tabletop are fixedly connected by a support structure; the scanning galvanometer and the galvanometer front optical path assembly are disposed on the second marble tabletop; the focusing lens is disposed below the second marble tabletop, and the focusing lens and the scanning galvanometer are connected through the second marble tabletop; The laser power supply and the laser are electrically connected; the laser beam emitted by the laser is sent to the optical path component in front of the galvanometer through a cross-layer optical path component, and then focused on the surface of the sample in the sample chamber through the scanning galvanometer and the focusing lens.
2. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical path assembly in front of the galvanometer includes an energy attenuator, a beam expander, and a collimation detection assembly; the cross-layer optical path assembly includes a cross-layer conduit and two reflectors.
3. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vibration isolation pad includes at least one of high-damping rubber vibration isolation pad or air-floating vibration isolation pad.
4. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shock-absorbing wheel includes a swivel wheel and a shock-absorbing spring; the shock-absorbing wheel and the rubber shock-absorbing support frame are fixedly connected by a rubber pad.
5. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 2, characterized in that, The collimation detection component includes a four-quadrant camera, or the collimation detection component includes an optical fiber and a power meter.
6. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scanning galvanometer is connected to the focusing lens via a rotating nose.
7. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 6, characterized in that, The rotating nose is fixed on a Z-axis moving platform.
8. The femtosecond laser ablation instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sample chamber is equipped with a translation stage; the translation stage is used to place the sample, and the sample chamber is also equipped with a sampling device for delivering sample aerosol particles.