UV-femtosecond and nanosecond laser ablation-ICP-MS: internal and external repeatability

The internal (precision within an ablation spot) and external repeatability (precision between ablation spots on the sample) were evaluated during repetitive 266 nm femtosecond and nanosecond laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. Femtosecond laser ablation sampling into the ICP-MS improved the precision by reducing systematic errors related to the particle size distribution and resultant spikes on the signal intensity. The data are reported in terms of measured concentrations for several elements in silica glass reference materials NIST 610-612.