High-power short-pass total internal reflection filter

An apparatus for generating filtered laser-sustained plasma light comprising:

• one or more pump sources configured to generate pump illumination;
• a focusing element arranged to focus the pump illumination onto a plasma target to generate a plasma that emits broadband illumination;
• a collector element arranged to collect the broadband illumination from the plasma;
• and
• a total internal reflection (TIR) filter formed from a material at least partially transparent to the broadband illumination, the TIR filter including a single planar input face oriented to receive the broadband illumination and one or more filtering faces oriented to retroreflect wavelengths of the broadband illumination beam below a selected cutoff wavelength as filtered broadband illumination back through the single planar input face, wherein the cutoff wavelength is selected based on total internal reflection on the one or more filtering faces, wherein rejected broadband illumination beam exits the TIR filter through one or more output faces positioned opposite of the single planar input face.