Cleanroom and sample preparation for mass spectrometry

At the Tandem Laboratory a number of cleanrooms are used in connection with experiments and studies which put high demands on cleanliness and purity of the sample material. Such requirements are essential within both accelerator mass spectrometry and ion beam modification.

In several cleanrooms of the laboratory, we prepare samples for radiocarbon dating. It is imperative that no foreign substances contaminate the sample and thereby affect the test result. The rooms are designed with an overpressure of 100 Pascal and an airlock. In the rooms there are combustion systems where certain samples are combusted in order for us to obtain the carbon (graphite) which is to be analysed. One of the systems is adapted for samples as small as 10 µg of carbon equivalent.

High quality ion beam modification requires ultra-clean surfaces. To ensure that no dust particles end up on surfaces to be implanted with ions, a cleanroom area is connected to the implanter system.