LIBS Principle

What is LIBS?

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy uses a focused laser pulse to vaporise a tiny amount of material and create a short-lived, high-temperature micro-plasma at the sample surface. As that plasma cools, the excited atoms emit light at characteristic wavelengths that a spectrometer reads to identify and quantify the elements present.

Because it needs no gas supply and only a laser and an optic, LIBS is well suited to fast, handheld and mobile metal analysis — including the light elements that are difficult for XRF, such as carbon, aluminium, magnesium and lithium.

How it works

A pulsed laser is focused onto the sample, ablating a microscopic amount of material and igniting a plasma at the surface. The plasma emission is collected through the same optic and dispersed by wavelength.

Each element's emission lines identify it, and the line intensities — after calibration against known grades — give the concentrations. The whole cycle takes a second or two, making LIBS ideal for rapid alloy sorting and positive material identification.

• Rapid results — typically seconds per measurement
• Excellent for light elements including carbon and aluminium
• No gas or vacuum needed for portable operation
• Minimal, near-non-destructive surface impact
• Well suited to scrap sorting and alloy verification

LIBS in the SPECTRO range

SPECTRO's SPECTROPORT LIBS brings laboratory-style arc/spark performance to a mobile, laser-based analyser. Nucleus supplies, supports and calibrates the full portable and mobile SPECTRO range across India.