  This paper reviews the state of art technology of laser induced breakdown
spectroscopy (LIBS). Research on LIBS is gaining momentum in the field of
instrumentation and data analysis technique due to its wide application in
various field particularly in environmental monitoring and in industry. The
main focus is on its miniaturization for field application and on increasing
its sensitivity. The sensitivity of LIBS has been increased by confining the
laser produced plasma using external magnetic field as well as using two
successive laser pulse excitation of plasma. LIBS has capability for
simultaneous multi element determination, localized microanalysis, surface
analysis and has been used successfully for determination and identification of
hazardous explosive and biological samples. Experimental findings of LIBS study
in different applications have been discussed.
