Chemical and explosive detection with long-wave infrared laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Conventional laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) mostly uses silicon-based detectors and measures the atomic emission in the UV-Vis-NIR (UVN) region of the spectrum. It can be used to detect the elements in the sample under test, such as the presence of lead in the solder for electronics during RoHS compliance verification. This wavelength region, however, does not provide sufficient information on the bonding between the elements, because the molecular vibration modes emit at longer wavelength region. Measuring long-wave infrared spectrum (LWIR) in a LIBS setup can instead reveal molecular composition of the sample, which is the information sought in applications including chemical and explosive detection and identification. This paper will present the work and results from the collaboration of several institutions to develop the methods of LWIR LIBS for chemical/explosive/pharmaceutical material detection/identification, such as DMMP and RDX, as fast as using a single excitation laser pulse. In our latest LIBS setup, both UVN and LWIR spectra can be collected at the same time, allowing more accurate detection and identification of materials.