Laser-induced XUV spectroscopy (LIXS): From fundamentals to application for high-precision LIBS

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a rapid in-situ microanalytical technique. Affected by poor precision, due to plasma flicker noise, it has reached its maturity. Laser-induced XUV spectroscopy (LIXS), works similarly to LIBS, while it collects the stable plasma emission in the extreme ultraviolet. Such emission is associated with the early stages of the laser-plasma. The information capacity of a XUV spectrometer is shown to be quadratically increased. Specific electron-ion processes in the LIXS plasma are discussed, showing how LIXS improves the limits of detection and the precision. A higher precision means the capability to spot trace heterogeneities in materials. A selection of applications in the analysis of materials is discussed, showing that LIXS’ strength is the ability to determine light elements as well as halogens with high signal-to-noise ratio and fractionation-free response.