Wavelength dependant ablation rates for metals and silicate glasses using homogenized laser beam profiles — implications for LA-ICP-MS

Abstract Laser ablation (LA) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a versatile micro-analytical technique for the determination of major, minor and trace elements in solid materials. Recent interest has concentrated on using the technique for layer analysis or depth profiling. However, little data has been published on the rates of ablation which provide essential information for determining depth resolution. Knowledge of the ablation rates is essential for the selection of optimum laser parameters for different target materials. It also provides estimates of uncertainties for quantification on materials where no internal standard is available to correct for differences in ablation volume. This work presents results on the ablation rates of metals (such as Al, Cu, Ni, Ti, Mo, Pt, Zn, Cr and Si), the SRM NIST 600 series glasses and natural calcium fluoride for laser fluencies between 3.5 and 35 J/cm2 using argon or helium as ablation environment together with two fundamentally different types of lasers (193 nm Excimer and 266 nm Nd:YAG).

[1]  Yunrong Wei,et al.  Ablation of cobalt with pulsed UV laser radiation , 2001 .

[2]  R. Russo,et al.  Influence of wavelength on fractionation in laser ablation ICP-MS , 2000 .

[3]  R. Frischknecht,et al.  Capabilities of an Argon Fluoride 193 nm Excimer Laser for LaserAblation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectometry Microanalysis ofGeological Materials , 1997 .

[4]  R. Russo,et al.  Effects of crater development on fractionation and signal intensity during laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry , 2000 .

[5]  S. Jackson,et al.  A Compilation of New and Published Major and Trace Element Data for NIST SRM 610 and NIST SRM 612 Glass Reference Materials , 1997 .

[6]  Detlef Günther,et al.  Comparison of the ablation behaviour of 266 nm Nd:YAG and 193 nm ArF excimer lasers for LA-ICP-MS analysis , 1999 .

[7]  Rui Vilar,et al.  Excimer laser ablation of Al2O3–TiC ceramics: laser induced modifications of surface topography and structure , 1998 .

[8]  J. Mermet,et al.  Depth profiling of tin-coated glass by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry with acoustic signal measurement , 2000, Fresenius' journal of analytical chemistry.

[9]  Detlef Günther,et al.  Quasi ‘non-destructive’ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry fingerprinting of sapphires , 2001 .

[10]  R. Russo,et al.  Pb/U Fractionation during Nd:YAG 213 nm and 266 nm Laser Ablation Sampling with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry , 2000 .

[11]  H. Longerich,et al.  Application of a frequency quintupled Nd:YAG source (λ=213 nm) for laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric analysis of minerals , 1998 .

[12]  S. Eggins,et al.  Deposition and element fractionation processes during atmospheric pressure laser sampling for analysis by ICP-MS , 1998 .

[13]  J. Mermet,et al.  Comparison of Ultraviolet Laser Ablation and Spark Ablation ofMetals and Alloys for Analysis by Axially Viewed Inductively CoupledPlasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry , 1997 .

[14]  D. Günther,et al.  Elemental fractionation in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry , 1996, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[15]  A. Mank,et al.  A critical assessment of laser ablation ICP-MS as an analytical tool for depth analysis in silica-based glass samples , 1999 .

[16]  Z. Q. Liu,et al.  Coupling effects of the number of pulses, pulse repetition rate and fluence during laser PMMA ablation , 2000 .

[17]  D. Günther,et al.  Theoretical description and experimental observation of aerosol transport processes in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry , 2001 .

[18]  G. Petite,et al.  Experimental investigations of laser ablation efficiency of pure metals with femto, pico and nanosecond pulses , 1999 .

[19]  R. Russo,et al.  Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric study of non-linear calibration behavior during laser ablation of binary Cu-Zn alloys , 1999 .