| CPC H01J 49/0463 (2013.01) [H01J 49/164 (2013.01); H01J 49/24 (2013.01)] | 14 Claims |

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1. An apparatus to generate ions from sample material deposited on a substrate which is at least partially transparent to electromagnetic waves, comprising:
a support device which has a holder for the substrate,
a desorption/ionization unit which contains a desorption device and an ionization device, said desorption device being arranged and designed to desorb deposited sample material from a desorption site on the substrate using at least one energy burst, and said ionization device being arranged and designed to irradiate the desorbed sample material above the substrate with a beam of electromagnetic waves after the at least one energy burst, wherein the beam of electromagnetic waves passes through the substrate before encountering the desorbed sample material at a location which corresponds to the desorption site,
an extraction device which is arranged and designed to extract ions from the desorbed sample material and transfer them into an analyzer, and further being configured to allow an unused portion of the beam of electromagnetic waves, which has passed through desorbed sample material above the substrate without interacting with molecules therein, to pass; and
a beam dump located substantially behind the extraction device and configured to catch said unused portion of the beam of electromagnetic waves which has passed the extraction device.
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