The 193 nm excimer laser is currently one of the most widely used wavelengths in laser ablation mass spectrometry analysis. However, for high transparency minerals such as fluorite and quartz, conventional 193 nm excimer laser ablation often seems inadequate. Usually, a high energy density is required to achieve effective erosion, and it is prone to thermal stress fragmentation and edge damage. A deep ultraviolet laser with shorter wavelength and higher photon energy is one of the possible ways to improve the erosion effect of such minerals.

Paper information: Deyi Peng, Zhi'an Bao, Kaiyun Chen, and Honglin Yuan.

Initial performance evaluation of an ultraviolet 157 nm laser ablation system for ICP-MS analysis. Analytical Chemistry, 2026. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6c03922.