Single Crystal Fusion

Laser fusion is totally automated and is performed with a 10W CO2 laser.  Single crystals (typically 300-600 µm in diameter) are placed in individual 1 mm diameter wells within a 11 row x 11 column tray.  Using typical analysis protocols, the tray contents are analyzed in 24 hours.  An additional 8 hours is required to bakeout the tray after loading and set up the automated run.  Crystals are typically fused for 30 seconds at 3 watts.  The sample gas is gettered for an additional 3 minutes.  The isotopic measurements on the Noblesse take 3 minutes with additional time required for post-analysis peak centering and baseline measurement.  Full proceedural blanks can either be performed after each analysis or interspersed between analyses at lesser frequncy as scheduled by the analyst.