What is LIBS?
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) identifies the chemical elements in a sample from the light of a tiny plasma created by a laser pulse.
How it works
- 1Laser pulseA nanosecond pulse is focused on a very small spot on the sample. The energy density is huge.
- 2PlasmaA minute amount of material is vaporized and ionized: a very hot plasma spark appears and lasts a few microseconds.
- 3EmissionAs it cools, atoms and ions emit light at wavelengths unique to each element, like a fingerprint.
- 4SpectrumA fiber carries that light to the spectrometer. The spectral lines tell which elements are present and, by their intensity, in what proportion.
Why synchronization matters
In the first instants the plasma glows with a continuum background that hides the lines. If the spectrometer captures right at the shot, you mostly see that background; if it captures too late, the light is gone.
So acquisition is delayed after the pulse, typically on the order of a microsecond, and that delay is tuned for each sample. This is where we have worked the most: our lasers have a built-in delay generator, and we make adapters that bring the trigger to the spectrometer with no soldering.
Advantages of the technique
- Little or no preparationThe sample is measured as is, with no digestion or reagents.
- Many elements at onceA single spectrum shows every element present, including light ones such as H, Li, Be, C and Na that are hard for other techniques.
- Nearly non-destructiveEach pulse leaves a microscopic crater.
- One shot, one spectrumThe measurement itself is instant; preparation and analysis are what take time.
- Solids, liquids and gasesMetals, minerals, soils, ceramics, plastics, coatings.
- PortableIt works in open air, no vacuum: the setup fits on a table and can travel to the site.
Good to know
- Identifying elements is straightforward; quantifying requires calibration with standards similar to the sample (matrix effect).
- Each shot varies a little: several spectra are averaged.
- For very low traces, techniques such as ICP-MS remain more sensitive.
What you need for LIBS
- Pulsed laserQ-switched Nd:YAG, nanosecond pulses.
- OpticsA lens to focus and optics or a fiber to collect the plasma light.
- SpectrometerCovering the lines of the elements you care about.
- SynchronizationA delay between pulse and capture, and the trigger into the spectrometer.
- SoftwareTo fire, capture and save spectra.
Our LIBS system brings all of that, tested together. Already have part of the setup? We also sell the components separately.
Our LIBS work
- 2026LIBS Analysis with Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser System: Aluminum Identification and Delay OptimizationB. Johns, I. L. González Antonio and Y. Pérez-MoretApplication note (preprint), Spectruma USA and Sepradel
- 2021Application of a temporal synchronization device for the study of laser-induced plasma spectroscopy in a multi-pulse regimeL. Ponce, T. Flores, Y. Pérez-Moret and F. C. AlviraApplied Optics, vol. 60, no. 6, p. 1574
- 2011Sistema LIBS portable para la determinación de elementos químicos presentes en el deterioro de construcciones de valor patrimonialL. Moreira, L. Ponce et al.Revista Cubana de Física, vol. 28, no. 2, p. 87
- 2011Desarrollo de un espectrómetro óptico para instalaciones de estudio del plasma inducido por láserY. Pérez-Moret, M. Arronte, B. Lambert and L. MoreiraRevista Cubana de Física, vol. 28, no. 1E
- 2009Prototipo de equipo de espectroscopía de plasma inducido por láser (LIBS)L. Moreira, L. Ponce, M. Arronte et al.VI International Workshop Tecnoláser and II International Meeting Optics, Life and Heritage