Insights into Enhanced Repeatability of Femtosecond Laser-Induced Plasmas

Repeatability is of utmost importance as it is directly linked to measurement accuracy and precision of a technique and affects its cost, utility, and commercialization. The present paper contributes to explain enhanced repeatability of the femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (fs-LIBS) technique, remarkably significant for its industrial applications and instrumental size reduction. A fs-laser with 7 mJ pulse energy was focused to create a transient titanium plasma, and a high-resolution spectrometer was used to study time-resolved spectra and single-shot drilling sampling repeatability. Time-resolved spectroscopy study at a delay time interval of 0-1600 ns showed 200-400 ns as the optimum delay time zone for data acquisition with 2-4% line intensity RSDs. Plasma temperature RSDs were <1.8% for the investigated delay interval and reached 0.5% at 200 ns where the temperature recorded a maximum value of 22,000 K. Electron density reached 5.7 × 10¹⁷ cm^-3 at 200 ns, and RSDs were <3% with the least fluctuation of 0.7%. Shot-to-shot RSDs were 3.5-5% at 15-30 drilling shot intervals for line intensities, <2% for plasma temperature, and <6.5% for electron density. Using an uncertainty propagation formula, total number density RSDs were calculated to be 1.9-5.3% for 50 single-shot drilling scenarios. Considering physics behind results, fs-plasmas are "stable ablation sources" due to their electrostatic formation mechanisms and confined hydrodynamic evolution. The fs-laser opens up new directions for LIBS applications where accuracy is significantly enhanced.