Application of weakly ionized plasmas for materials sampling andanalysis

The use of weakly ionized plasmas as spectroscopic sources for materials sampling and analysis is reviewed. Plasma sources currently used for this purpose include direct-current and alternating-current plasmas, inductively coupled plasmas, microwave-induced plasmas, surface-wave plasmas, capacitively coupled plasmas, capacitive microwave plasmas, glow discharges, flowing afterglows, theta pinch discharges, exploding films and wires, and laser-produced plasmas. The authors give a summary of relevant characteristics of some of the plasma sources. Included are the source, common method of application, approximate detection limit for that method, applicability for solid sampling, susceptibility to matrix effects, approximate cost, and the most common usage for the method