A laser ablation mass spectrometer for planetary exploration

In this paper to sample the planetary surface, we will make use of a pulsed laser to ablate the surface and couple the ions from the resulting plasma directly into a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The use of a laser avoids the need for sample preparation, gives excellent spatial sampling resolution, and makes possible the acquisition of depth dependent information. We used a commercially available diode pumped Nd:YAG microchip laser from Litton Precision Products Inc. positioned outside the test vacuum chamber and focused to a 20 μm spot on the target using a doublet lens, we have successfully obtained mass spectra from several metals, mineral glasses, mineral standards and meteorites.