Influence of ambient gas pressure on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique in the parallel double-pulse configuration

Single-pulse and double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy experiments have been performed using two Nd:YAG lasers in the fundamental mode on a brass sample at different air pressures, ranging from 0.1 Torr to atmospheric conditions, in order to obtain information about the different ablation and plasma evolution processes in the different configurations. Neutral and ionized lines originated both by species deriving from the target and from the air environment were analysed. The temperature and electron density values were estimated in all the experimental conditions. A different behavior of the plasma emission versus the air pressure, in the case of lines deriving from the target, was observed in the single-pulse and double-pulse configurations, suggesting that the different environmental conditions in the first and the second laser ablation may be responsible in determining the plasma emission in the two cases. An interpretative model based on the cavity produced in air by the laser-induced shock wave, according to the Sedov theory of the blast wave expansion, was able to qualitatively describe the effects observed in single-pulse and double-pulse experiments.

Besides, the influence of the interpulse delay time between the two laser pulses was explored in the range between 0 and 20 μs. The results, according to the model proposed, provide information on the plume evolution in the single-pulse and double-pulse configurations at different air pressures. In particular, different optimum interpulse delays were found for the observation of neutral lines and ionic lines.     

Filament-induced remote surface ablation for long range laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy operation

We demonstrate laser induced ablation and plasma line emission from a metallic target at distances up to 180 m from the laser, using filaments (self-guided propagation structures ∼ 100 μm in diameter and ∼ 5 × 10¹³ W/cm² in intensity) appearing as femtosecond and terawatt laser pulses propagating in air. The remarkable property of filaments to propagate over a long distance independently of the diffraction limit opens the frontier to long range operation of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. We call this special configuration of remote laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy “remote filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy”. Our results show main features of filament-induced ablation on the surface of a metallic sample and associated plasma emission. Our experimental data allow us to estimate requirements for the detection system needed for kilometer-range remote filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy experiment.     

Applications of the double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in the collinear beam geometry to the elemental analysis of different materials

Double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy studies were performed on different types of materials (synthetic glasses, rocks, steels). Two Nd : YAG lasers emitting at 532 nm were combined in the collinear beam geometry to carry out double-pulse experiments at atmospheric pressure in air. For all matrices, the influence of the delay between the two laser pulses was systematically investigated from temporal and spectral analyses. Furthermore, the correlation between the excitation energy levels of the emission lines and the increases in intensity induced by the double-pulse scheme was described for each material. A comparison of the studies displayed different behaviors of the materials in the double-pulse experiments. An interpretation of the results is provided on the basis of the determination of the plasma temperatures in the single- and double-pulse configuration with the Saha–Boltzmann plot method. It also gave an insight into the potentialities and the limitations of the double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for analytical purpose so that the materials can be classified in terms of effectiveness of the double-pulse approach.     

Emission enhancement using two orthogonal targets in double pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The enhancement of emission intensity resulting from the interaction between two laser-induced plasmas on two orthogonal targets was investigated using double pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) at 0.7 Pa, by means of time-resolved spectroscopy and fast photography. The results showed that the interaction between both plasmas improved carbon emission intensity in comparison to a single laser-induced plasma. For all the carbon lines of interest 477.2 nm (CI), 426.7 nm (CII), and 473.4 nm (C₂ Swan band head), the intensity enhancement showed a maximum at a delay between lasers in the range from 2 to 5 μs; moreover it increased with the fluence of the first laser. On the other hand, in the case of C₂ the intensity enhancement reached a maximum at 5 mm from the target; however it decreased with increasing fluence of the second laser. The largest intensity enhancement found was twofold for atomic species and sixfold for molecular species.     

Study of the double-pulse setup with an orthogonal beam geometry for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Single- and double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied on aluminum samples at atmospheric pressure in air. In the case of the double-pulse scheme, experiments were carried out with an ablation laser emitting at 532 nm and a reheating laser emitting at 1064 nm in an orthogonal beam geometry. With the use of a 1-m focal length monochromator and an echelle spectrometer both equipped with an intensified charge coupled device (ICCD), the studies on the effect of the delay between the two laser pulses displayed optimum enhancements of line emissions only at 200 ns in the reheating scheme developed here. The experimental parameters, like the signal acquisition delay, were largely studied. The line intensity enhancements were also investigated in dependence on physical parameters, such as the excitation energy levels of the lines observed. Moreover, the relative importance of ionic and neutral lines in the emission spectra was precisely characterized. From the different investigations, the behaviors of the line emissions towards the double-pulse technique were related to their excitation energy levels. A correlation between the increases in intensity and the excitation energy levels of the line emissions was highlighted. As a result, the reheating scheme showed improvements of sensitivity for elements emitting ionic lines compared with the corresponding single-pulse experiments.     

Dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark in the orthogonal dual-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

We have observed dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark on the signal intensity in the orthogonal dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. We applied pre-ablation and ablation laser pulses with significantly reduced energy for an aluminum metal in open air. Under this experimental condition, the well-known signal enhancement through the increase in ablated mass was negligible. The Al I and II emissions were investigated by both top-view and spatially-resolved side-view collection modes. In this low laser power regime, dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark on the signal intensity were clearly revealed. The principal factor of signal enhancement is the increase in temperature. Without the mass removal enhancement, effective rarefaction leads to decrease in the Al I emission intensity and simultaneous increase in the Al II emission intensity. This is attributed to the role of Saha equilibrium. Selective prolongation of emission lifetime only for the enclosed part of the analyte plasma in the rarefied region and other fluid-dynamic effects of a pre-ablation spark have been visualized by wavelength-selected time-space correlation maps of plasma emissions.     

Main parameters influencing the double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in the collinear beam geometry

Two Nd:YAG lasers emitting at 532 nm were combined in the same direction (collinear beam geometry) for double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy studies on aluminum samples at atmospheric pressure in air. The influence of the delay between the two laser pulses was investigated for the background emission, for lines detected in aluminum samples and for atmospheric lines with different detection systems (photomultiplier tube, Czerny–Turner spectrometer and echelle spectrometers). The optimization of the delay between the two laser pulses depended on the excitation energy levels of the emission lines: two optima of interpulse delays were observed in the collinear geometry. Different regimes of laser–plasma interactions were discussed depending on the interpulse delay for aluminum samples. Furthermore, the effect of the sampling geometry, in terms of lens-to-sample distance, focal length of the focusing lens, was studied to determine parameters influencing the single- and double-pulse scheme. Besides, the analytical performance of the system was evaluated to characterize the advantages of the double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in terms of improvement of sensitivity and reduction of self-absorption effect for aluminum samples.     

The influence of laser-particle interaction in laser induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma spectrometry

Particles produced by previous laser shots may have significant influence on the analytical signal in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma (LA-ICP) spectrometry if they remain close to the position of laser sampling. The effects of these particles on the laser-induced breakdown event are demonstrated in several ways. LIBS-experiments were conducted in an ablation cell at atmospheric conditions in argon or air applying a dual-pulse arrangement with orthogonal pre-pulse, i.e., plasma breakdown in a gas generated by a focussed laser beam parallel and close to the sample surface followed by a delayed crossing laser pulse in orthogonal direction which actually ablates material from the sample and produces the LIBS plasma. The optical emission of the LIBS plasma as well as the absorption of the pre-pulse laser was measured. In the presence of particles in the focus of the pre-pulse laser, the plasma breakdown is affected and more energy of the pre-pulse laser is absorbed than without particles. As a result, the analyte line emission from the LIBS plasma of the second laser is enhanced. It is assumed that the enhancement is not only due to an increase of mass ablated by the second laser but also to better atomization and excitation conditions favored by a reduced gas density in the pre-pulse plasma. Higher laser pulse frequencies increase the probability of particle-laser interaction and, therefore, reduce the shot-to-shot line intensity variation as compared to lower particle loadings in the cell. Additional experiments using an aerosol chamber were performed to further quantify the laser absorption by the plasma in dependence on time both with and without the presence of particles. The overall implication of laser-particle interactions for LIBS and LA-ICP-MS/OES are discussed.     

Measurement of concentration of chlorine attached to a stainless-steel canister material using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in the single-pulse or orthogonal double-pulse configuration was performed for the measurement of the concentration of chlorine, which induces the occurrence of stress corrosion cracking (SCC), attached to stainless-steel (UNS S30403). The chlorine spectra were measured for samples sprayed with synthetic seawater with chlorine concentrations from 0.1 to 1.0 g/m². The chlorine emission intensity decreased between chlorine concentrations of 0.4 and 1.0 g/m² as determined in the single-pulse measurement. The chlorine concentration dependence of the chlorine emission intensity in the single-pulse configuration was unchanged even when the laser energy was set between 30 and 100 mJ. On the other hand, the chlorine emission intensity increased linearly versus chlorine concentration from 0.1 to 1.0 g/m² with the orthogonal double-pulse configuration. The results suggest that LIBS is promising for the inspection of the environmental condition for SCC initiation, which can occur when the chlorine concentration is greater than or equal to 0.8 g/m².     

Quantification of the intensity enhancements for the double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in the orthogonal beam geometry

Simple- and double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was studied on aluminum samples at atmospheric pressure in air. The double-pulse experiments were carried out in the orthogonal beam geometry in two different ways: the reheating scheme and the pre-ablation spark dual-pulse scheme. An ablation laser emitting at 532 nm was combined with a second laser operating at 1064 nm according to the orthogonal geometry. For both schemes, the influence of the delay between the two laser pulses was investigated. In particular, different optima of interpulse delays were determined, underlying the differences of physical mechanisms involved in both processes. The estimation of the plasma temperatures provided explanations on the signal increases for both schemes. Whatever the configuration developed in the orthogonal geometry, a correlation between the increases in emission lines intensities and their excitation energy levels was established in the double-pulse approach. Besides, the effect of laser energy for both pulses was studied so as to make comparisons of the different configurations at the same total laser energy.     

Time-resolved spectroscopy and imaging diagnostics of single pulse and collinear double pulse laser induced plasma from a glass sample

The characterization of laser-induced plasma from a glass sample was performed in the single- and double-pulse excitation regimes. The detailed information about density distributions of excited atoms and ions in the expanding plasma was obtained by using the imaging detection system providing measurements of the spatial, temporal, and spectral plasma emission characteristics. The expansion dynamics was shown to differ strongly between two excitation regimes. The enhancement factors of the line emissions in the double-pulse mode were found to be spatial dependent and to differ for the different elements in the plasma plume. The obtained results are useful for a better understanding of the main physical processes leading to the analytical improvement achieved by the use of double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).     

Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopic measurements of He plasma induced by a high-power CO2 pulsed laser

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of helium plasma, initially at room temperature and pressures ranging from 12 to 101 kPa was investigated using a transverse excitation atmospheric CO₂ pulsed laser (λ = 9.621 and 10.591 μm, a full width at half maximum of 64 ns, and an intensity from 1.5 to 5.36 GW cm⁻²). The helium breakdown spectrum is mainly due to electronic relaxation of excited He, He⁺ and H. Plasma characteristics were examined in detail on the emission lines of He and He⁺ by the time-integrated and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy technique. Optical breakdown threshold intensities, ionization degree and plasma temperatures were obtained. An auxiliary metal mesh target was used to analyze the temporal evolution of the species in the plasma. The results show a faster decay of the continuum emission and He⁺ species than in the case of neutral He atoms. The velocity and kinetic energy distributions for He and He⁺ species were obtained from time-of-flight measurements. Electron density in the laser-induced plasma was estimated from the analysis of spectral data at various times from the laser pulse incidence. Temporal evolution of electron density has been used for the estimation of the three-body electron-ion recombination rate constant.     

Approaching non-destructive surface chemical analysis of CMSX-4 superalloy with double-pulsed laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was performed on the CMSX-4 Ni-based superalloy using a femtosecond pulsed laser. An orthogonal double-pulse technique was used to minimize surface damage associated with LIBS. With this technique, the depth of ablation craters was reduced from 200 nm for single-pulse LIBS down to less than 60 nm using orthogonal double-pulse LIBS. The technique also allowed the average velocity of the ablated material to be determined, which ranged from 4720 ± 560 m/s at a pump laser fluence of 3.1 J/cm² to 8150 ±1800 m/s at 10.1 J/cm².     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of Zr in short ultraviolet wavelength range

Emission and absorption spectra of a laser-induced zirconium plasma are studied at early times after plasma formation in the short UV spectral range from 190 to 240 nm. Many lines from highly ionized Zr ions, such as Zr IV at 216.4 and 228.7 nm and Zr III at 194.1, 194.7, 193.1, 196.3, 196.6, 197.5, 199.0, 200.3, 200.8, 202.8, 203.6, 205.7, 206.1, 207.1, 208.6, 210.2, 211.4, 217.6, and 219.1 nm have been found in the plasma under ambient and vacuum conditions. These lines could be detected in both single-pulse and double-pulse ablation modes. Several of the detected lines, namely those observed at 195.0, 198.2, 199.7, 229.4, 231.6, 232.4 and 233.0 nm, could not be attributed to Zr after inspecting known spectral data bases. From the temporal persistence behavior of these lines, it is concluded that they most likely belong to Zr I and Zr II emission lines that have not previously been reported.     

Comparison of two laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy techniques for total carbon measurement in soils

The potentials of two advanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) techniques which are used to determine the total carbon content in soils have been examined. The first one is the combination of a single-pulse laser ablation with spark excitation of plasma plume triggering the gap between electrodes close to the target surface. The second one is a more conventional double-pulse LIBS. In both modes the calibration graphs have a nonlinear trend in the actual range of carbon contents and present a good R² value (0.97). In the combined laser-spark approach, using low-cost and portable laser instrumentation is possible, as well as inducing a micro-damage on the target surface. Certain regularities in the spectral line intensities of soil nutritious elements have been detected and appear to be connected to the total carbon content and to the soil origin.     

Comparison of double-pulse and single-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy techniques in the analysis of powdered samples of silicate raw materials for the brick-and-tile industry

Single- and double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy techniques applied to the analysis of pressed pellets of silicate raw materials were compared in terms of precision, sensitivity and limits of detection. Two Nd:YAG lasers (1064 and 532 mm) in an orthogonal configuration with a reheating arrangement have been employed. The main factors influencing system performance were optimized, i.e. laser pulse energies and interpulse separation. The behaviour of plasma temperature was studied over a period of time and calibration curves for Mg were constructed for both the single and double-pulse setup. When comparing the single- and double-pulse techniques, limits of detection of Si and Mg for the double-pulse technique were found to be 10 times lower.     

Influence of sample temperature on the expansion dynamics and the optical emission of laser-induced plasma

We investigate the influence of sample temperature on the dynamics and optical emission of laser induced plasma for various solid materials. Bulk aluminum alloy, silicon wafer, and metallurgical slag samples are heated to temperature T_S ≤ 500 °C and ablated in air by Nd:YAG laser pulses (wavelength 1064 nm, pulse duration approx. 7 ns). The plasma dynamics is investigated by fast time-resolved photography. For laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) the optical emission of plasma is measured by Echelle spectrometers in combination with intensified CCD cameras. For all sample materials the temporal evolution of plume size and broadband plasma emission vary systematically with T_S. The size and brightness of expanding plumes increase at higher T_S while the mean intensity remains independent of temperature. The intensity of emission lines increases with temperature for all samples. Plasma temperature and electron number density do not vary with T_S. We apply the calibration-free LIBS method to determine the concentration of major oxides in slag and find good agreement to reference data up to T_S = 450 °C. The LIBS analysis of multi-component materials at high temperature is of interest for technical applications, e.g. in industrial production processes.     

Double pulse laser ablation and plasma: Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal enhancement

A review of recent results of the studies of double laser pulse plasma and ablation for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy applications is presented. The double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy configuration was suggested with the aim of overcoming the sensitivity shortcomings of the conventional single pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. Several configurations have been suggested for the realization of the double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique: collinear, orthogonal pre-spark, orthogonal pre-heating and dual pulse crossed beam modes. In addition, combinations of laser pulses with different wavelengths, different energies and durations were studied, thus providing flexibility in the choice of wavelength, pulse width, energy and pulse sequence. The double pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy approach provides a significant enhancement in the intensity of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy emission lines up to two orders of magnitude greater than a conventional single pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. The double pulse technique leads to a better coupling of the laser beam with the plasma plume and target material, thus providing a more temporally effective energy delivery to the plasma and target. The experimental results demonstrate that the maximum effect is obtained at some optimum separation delay time between pulses. The optimum value of the interpulse delay depends on several factors, such as the target material, the energy level of excited states responsible for the emission, and the type of enhancement process considered. Depending on the specified parameter, the enhancement effects were observed on different time scales ranging from the picosecond time level (e.g., ion yield, ablation mass) up to the hundred microsecond level (e.g., increased emission intensity for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of submerged metal target in water). Several suggestions have been proposed to explain the mechanism of double pulse enhancement.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for on-line sulfur analyses of minerals in ambient conditions

Different options of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy arrangements for on-line analyses of sulfur in minerals in ambient conditions have been investigated. Depending on the sulfur concentration and the sample type, the following conditions appear as optimal: for concentration values of 20–30% (for example Cu and Ni ores, gypsum, anhydrite, and barite) it is the single-pulse option with emission in near infra-red; for concentration values of 5–10% it is the double-pulse option with emission in the green; for concentration values down to 0.2% (for example in coal) it is the single-pulse option in near VUV with a N₂ filled spectrometer.     

Influence of pulse-to-pulse delay for 532 nm double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of technical polymers

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging technique for fast and accurate compositional analysis of many different materials. We present a systematic study of collinear double-pulse LIBS on different technical polymers such as polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene etc. Polymer samples were ablated in air by single-pulse and double-pulse Nd:YAG laser radiation (8 ns pulse duration) and spectra were recorded with an Echelle spectrometer equipped with an ICCD camera. We investigated the evolution of atomic and ionic line emission intensities for different delay times between the laser pulses (from 20 ns to 500 μs) at a laser wavelength of 532 nm. We observed double-pulse LIBS signals that were enhanced as compared to single-pulse measurements depending on the delay time and the type of polymer material investigated. LIBS signals of polymer materials that are enhanced by double-pulse excitation may be useful for monitoring the concentration of heavy metals in polymer materials.