Patent ID: 7394537

Claim:
An apparatus for performing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, comprising: a handheld unit, a pump laser with a controller, a wavelength locking system configured to keep an output wavelength of said pump laser essentially constant irrespective of temperature of said pump laser, a combination of a solid laser medium and a Q-switch configured to receive a laser beam from said pump laser, focusing optics configured to focus laser pulses from said combination to a focal spot at a sample, light collection optics configured to collect light from plasma induced of sample material by focused laser pulses, a spectrometer configured to receive collected light from said light collection optics and to produce information describing a spectral distribution of such light, and a power source configured to deliver electric power to other parts of the apparatus; wherein said pump laser, said combination, said focusing optics, said light collection optics, said spectrometer and said power source are parts of said handheld unit.