Micro purge of plasma region
AssigneeSciAps, Inc.
InventorDavid Day
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An analysis system includes a laser source generating a laser beam for creating a plasma at a location on a sample. A spectrometer is responsive to photons emitted by the sample at said location and has an output. At least one nozzle is configured to deliver inert gas from a source locally to the location on the sample. A controller is responsive to a trigger signal and is configured to activate the laser source generating a series of laser pulses, open a valve to purge the location locally on the sample, and close the valve after one or more laser pulses.
Claims3
A battery powered, portable LIBS analyzer comprising:
- a laser source generating a laser beam received by an adjustable focusing lens for creating a plasma at a location on a sample;
- a spectrometer responsive to photons emitted by the sample at said location and having an output;
- a cartridge of inert gas;
- a nozzle configured to deliver inert gas from the cartridge locally to said location on the sample;
- a valve between the cartridge of inert gas and the nozzle;
- a trigger mechanism generating a trigger signal;
- and
- a controller, responsive to the trigger signal, and configured to:
- initiate a focusing cycle by pulsing the laser while adjusting the focusing lens based on said spectrometer output to focus the laser beam at one location on the sample,
- initiate a cleaning cycle to clean said location by pulsing said laser for a number of pulses based on the output of said spectrometer,
- initiate an analysis cycle by pulsing said laser while controlling said valve to purge said location with inert gas and analyzing said spectrometer output,
- move the laser beam to a new location on the sample, and
- repeat said cleaning cycle and said analysis cycle at said new location.
A method of operating a battery powered, portable LIBS analyzer comprising:
- initiating a focusing cycle to adjust the focus of a laser beam on a sample at a location based on an output of a spectrometer;
- initiating a cleaning cycle to clean said location by pulsing the laser for a number of pulses based on the spectrometer output indicating said location is sufficiently clean;
- initiating an analysis cycle to analyze said location by pulsing said laser while purging said location with an inert gas and analyzing said spectrometer output;
- moving said laser beam to a new location on the sample;
- and
- repeating the cleaning cycle and the analysis cycle at said new location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.