Q-SWITCHED RUBY LASER FOR EMISSION MICROSPECTROSCOPIC ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS

Instrumental improvements in a laser microprobe system were developed which are significant in the following respects: (1) The long-term stability that is implied by the firing of the laser 20,000 times over a 1-year period without repair or significant degradation of performance demonstrates that the laser can be treated as a reliable instrument for micro sampling for emission spectroscopy. (2) The relative standard deviation of the laser energy commonly considered to be the major precision-limiting factor has been reduced to about 4%. (3) The low divergence of the laser beam and the excellent control of its energy, together with the high sensitivity of spectral detection have extended the sample resolution to cellular dimensions. (4) Simultaneous monitoring and control of the laser beam opens the possibility of defining sample size in terms of laser energy delivered. © 1968, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.