This report includes the following: (1) acceptance test plan, (2) systems performance data, (3) pictures of completed system, (4) problems in building the system, (5) description of the system, (6) major maintenance problems, (7) revised blueprints, (8) installation, operation, and maintenance manuals, and (9) recommendations.(MOW)

In our laser fusion microsphere production, large, thin gel-microspheres are formed before the chemicals are fused into glass. In this transient stage,, the gel-microspheres are found to be highly permeable to argon and many other inert gases. When the gel transforms to glass, the argon gas, for example, is trapped within to form argon filled, fusion target quality, glass microspheres. On the average, the partial pressure of the argon fills attained in this process is around 2 x 10/sup 4/ Pa at room temperature.

A system for measuring argon contents in individual laser fusion targets using a getter pumped closed volume quadrupole mass spectrometer has been developed. Accuracy of 10% can be obtained, limited by the calibration standard and electron multiplier drift. Measurements are simple, unambiguous and can be performed at up to one per hour with a sensitivity equivalent to 1 x 10/sup 3/ Pa (.01 atm) argon in a 140 ..mu..m internal diameter sphere.