Conventional thermal desorption systems usually consist of a desorption unit, a cooled trap and a GC inlet. The TDS is a high-performance thermal desorption system that uses the GERSTEL cooled injection system to function as both a cryogenic trap and a GC inlet. Analytes are focused in the inlet liner, not the column, before being transferred onto the analytical column as a narrow band. The option of using a cryogenically cooled inlet liner as a trap allows much greater flexibility when developing methods. Many systems rely on adsorbents alone to trap analytes. This works fine for standard well defined methods, but if the analytes change, it is likely that many weeks of method development will be required to find an appropriate adsorbent (or mix of adsorbents) to trap the new analytes. Trapping in the inlet also allows for true splitless sample introduction allowing the TDS to provide the lowest detection limits available.