Identification of Impurities in Industrial Quartz Using the LSX-213 Depth Profiling Method

One of the major benefits of Laser Ablation is the reduced effort in sample preparation. With LA-ICP-MS analysis, the laborsome step of bringing the sample into solution for liquid analysis can be omitted. Sometimes however, the area of analytical interest lies deep within the sample. Due to the high power and the even energy distribution of the laser output from the LSX-213, very deep holes can be ablated, essentially drilling to the analytical area. Ablating at such depths can cause issues in the transport of ablated material out of the crater and subsequent loss of sample signal. This application note demonstrates a method to mitigate this effect, allowing the analysis and identification of impurities in a sample of synthetic quartz.