High repetition rate laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using acousto-optically gated detection

Journal Article · Tue Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4890337· OSTI ID:22308669

Pořízka, Pavel ^[1]; Klessen, Benjamin; Gornushkin, Igor; Riedel, Jens ^[1]; Kaiser, Jozef ^[2]; Panne, Ulrich ^[1]

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1. BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Richard-Willstätter-Straße 11, D-12489 Berlin (Germany)
2. Institute of Physical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 2896/2, 61669 Brno (Czech Republic)

This contribution introduces a new type of setup for fast sample analysis using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The novel design combines a high repetition rate laser (up to 50 kHz) as excitation source and an acousto-optical modulator (AOM) as a fast switch for temporally gating the detection of the emitted light. The plasma radiation is led through the active medium of the AOM where it is diffracted on the transient ultrasonic Bragg grid. The diffracted radiation is detected by a compact Czerny-Turner spectrometer equipped with a CCD line detector. Utilizing the new combination of high repetition rate lasers and AOM gated detection, rapid measurements with total integration times of only 10 ms resulted in a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.13 wt.% for magnesium in aluminum alloys. This short integration time corresponds to 100 analyses/s. Temporal gating of LIP radiation results in improved LODs and consecutively higher sensitivity of the LIBS setup. Therefore, an AOM could be beneficially utilized to temporally detect plasmas induced by high repetition rate lasers. The AOM in combination with miniaturized Czerny-Turner spectrometers equipped with CCD line detectors and small footprint diode pumped solid state lasers results in temporally gateable compact LIBS setups.

• OSTI ID: 22308669
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 85, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
BRAGG REFLECTION
BREAKDOWN
CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICES
DETECTION
DIODE-PUMPED SOLID STATE LASERS
EXCITATION
GRIDS
MAGNESIUM
PLASMA
SENSITIVITY
SPECTROMETERS
SPECTROSCOPY
VISIBLE RADIATION