Laser ablation for the atomic emission spectroscopy of a glass sample
is studied using pulsed UV laser systems and the effect of the laser w
avelength is investigated. The threshold fluence for ablation is decre
ased and the detection sensitivity is improved for shorter wavelengths
. Furthermore, very thin (less than 1 nm/shot) surface slicing is poss
ible at a wavelength as short as 193 nm. Polymers also show good ablat
ion characteristics. Improvement of sensitivity and spatial resolution
by using shorter wavelength laser ablation is discussed for Na detect
ion in a glass sample.