SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION IN THE 21ST-CENTURY - EXCITEMENT AT THEHORIZON - PLENARY LECTURE

Recent developments in technology have suggested a promising future fo r plasma spectroscopy. New optical technologies, such as volume phase technology and unconventional optical systems, when coupled with new g enerations of optical detectors promise to provide powerful tools for plasma diagnostics or spectrochemical analysis, Nest generation charge injection devices will provide both complete random access of individ ual detector sites and 'collective readout,' a new readout mode. Colle ctive readout will promise faster readout and improved signal to noise ratios,. A new generation of pre-amp per pixel array detectors with p roper addressing architecture will allow random pixel readout and extr eme resistance to blooming. These technological advances will yield ne w capabilities for not only current and future plasma sources, hut als o vintage sources such as the microwave-induced plasma, the direct cur rent plasma, direct current are and the direct current spark. Developm ents in software data processing techniques including neural networks and other chemometric techniques will allow present and future spectro scopists to extract useful diagnostic and chemical information from th e almost overwhelming abundance of analytical data generated by the pr esent and future generations of array detectors.