System and method for laser-sustained plasma illumination

A method for igniting and sustaining a plasma, comprising:

• generating a first laser beam including illumination of a first wavelength for igniting a plasma with a first laser source and at least a second laser beam including illumination of at least a second wavelength for sustaining an ignited plasma with at least a second laser source, wherein the first wavelength is different from the at least the second wavelength, wherein one or more of the first laser source or the at least the second laser source are individually controllable via one or more user-selectable operation parameters;
• coupling, via one or more optical elements, the first laser beam to a first region of an optical fiber and the at least the second laser beam to at least a second region of the optical fiber, wherein the optical fiber is configured to deliver the illumination emitted from the first laser source and the illumination emitted from the at least the second laser source to a plasma for generation of broadband illumination by the plasma;
• and
• adjusting the one or more operational parameters of one or more of the first laser source or the at least the second laser source following ignition of a plasma.

A system for imaging a sample with a laser-sustained plasma illumination, comprising:

• an illumination pump source subsystem for igniting and sustaining a plasma including:
• a first laser source configured to emit a first laser beam including illumination of a first wavelength for igniting a plasma;
• at least a second laser source configured to emit at least a second laser beam including illumination of at least a second wavelength for sustaining an ignited plasma, wherein the first wavelength is different from the at least the second wavelength;
• an optical fiber including a first region and at least a second region;
• and
• one or more optical elements, wherein the one or more optical elements couple the first laser beam to the first region of the optical fiber, wherein the one or more optical elements couple the at least the second laser beam to the at least the second region of the optical fiber,
• wherein one or more of the first laser source or the at least the second laser source are individually controllable via one or more user-selectable operation parameters;
• a broadband illumination source subsystem, wherein the optical fiber is configured to deliver the illumination emitted from the first laser source and the illumination emitted from the at least the second laser source to the broadband illumination source subsystem, wherein the broadband illumination source subsystem comprises:
• one or more illumination optical elements configured to direct at least a portion of a pump illumination formed from the first laser beam and the at least the second laser beam;
• a gas containment element for containing a volume of gas, wherein the one or more illumination optical elements are configured to sustain a plasma within a volume of gas in the gas containment element by directing at least a portion of the pump illumination along a pump path to one or more focal spots within the volume of gas;
• and
• one or more collection optical elements configured to collect broadband illumination emitted by the plasma along a collection path;
• a sample stage for securing one or more samples;
• and
• an imaging subsystem including:
• a detector;
• and
• an objective, wherein the objective is configured to collect illumination from a surface of the sample and focus the collected illumination via a collection pathway to the detector to form an image of at least a portion of the surface of the one or more samples.