Kevin Finch, Gamez Lab, Texas Tech University
Kevin’s research involves using pulsed laser scattering techniques (Thomson, Rayleigh,
and Raman) to systematically study the fundamental species (electrons, gas atoms, and
molecular moieties when present) of chemical analysis plasmas and how their
energy/density distributions change as a function of plasma geometry/modality. This in
turn will allow for a better understanding of the underlying chemical mechanisms that
govern energy transfer and can lead to the rational design and improved analytical
performance of plasma sources, rather than typically inefficient trial-and-error
approaches that may only lead to partial optimization. Specifically, Kevin will be
characterizing a glow discharge plasma operated under optical emission spectroscopy
(GDOES) elemental mapping (EM) conditions (i.e. higher pressures and pulsed power
mode), which has been recently shown to enable EM directly from solid surface
samples several orders of magnitude faster vs typical techniques.