ABSTRACT
This work presents a method that can automatically estimate and remove varying continuous background emission for low-cost laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) without intensified CCD. The algorithm finds all third-order minima points in spectra and uses these points to partition the spectra into multiple subintervals. The mean value is then used as a threshold to select the effective points for the second-order minima in each subinterval. Finally, a linear interpolation method is used to realize extension of these effective points and complete fitting of the background using polynomials. Using simulated and real LIBS spectra with different complexities examine the validity of proposed algorithm. Additionally, five elements of five standard cast iron alloy samples are calibrated and improved very well after background removal. The results successfully prove the validity of the background correction algorithm.