Design of a low-cost detection system for laser-induced plasma spectroscopy

A low-cost detection system for laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) is described. The system comprises a Rowland spectrometer with photomultiplie r detection and a miniaturized multiple gated integrator system. The sensit ivity and the spectral band pass of the system were characterized and compa red to a conventional Czerny-Turner system with an intensified diode array detector for chromium as representative analyte. Both, the sensitivity and spectral resolution were found to be sufficient for the intended simultaneo us multielement LIPS analysis of simple and constant matrices. (C) 1999 Ame rican Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)02009-2].