Nanometer-scale surface element analysis in polymers using laser ablation atomic fluorescence spectroscopy

In this paper, laser ablation atomic fluorescence (LAAF) spectroscopy has been applied for a nanometer-scale solid surface analysis of Na-doped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). LAAF spectroscopy is a new sensitive element detection technique which involves atomizing of a sample by the laser ablation and detection of the ablated plume by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. Using this technique in the detection of Na atoms with a sample of Na-doped PMMA, an ablation rate of 4.4 nm/shot is attained and a detection limit is estimated to be 36 fg for a single laser shot. Further, a two-layer PMMA sample is ablated and by observing the shot-by-shot LIF intensity from Na atoms, the depth distribution in the sample is measured with a very high spatial resolution.