A laser ionization spectrometer designed for studying the atomization of metallic surfaces is presented. First experiments on polycrystalline nickel bombarded by 15 keV Ar⁺ ions are reported. The sputtered neutral atoms are selectively excited and ionized using resonance ionization spectroscopy. A comparison is made between the two step‐one colour and the two step‐two colour schemes. The influence of autoionizing states on the ionization process is discussed. © 1995 American Institute of Physics