Laser Targets
Luxel Corporation has broad experience in supplying
customized laser targets for research applications. Polyimide film is used in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments in two
principal configurations.
The first
configuration is a unique design where two submicron thick planar polyimide films are
bonded to opposite sides of a washer that has been fitted with gas fill tubes. The device
is then pressurized, deforming the polyimide films such that the target becomes nearly
spherical. These are called "gasbag" targets, and an enlarged photograph is of
one shown here. In this example, the overall dimensions of the gas volume are 2.75
mm inside diameter of the washer, and 2.4 mm across from the centers of the polyimide
windows. With polyimide films measuring 3500Å thick, this gasbag target will hold one
atmosphere of pressure.
A second configuration shown at right, employs polyimide windows bonded to the ends of a cylindrical gold
hohlraum target body. These "laser entrance windows" range from 3500Å
- 12,000Å thick polyimide and are 1.2 - 3.8 mm in diameter. The windows
generally hold one atmosphere of pressure,
and there is very little
deflection of the window under pressure, typically less than 0.2 mm.
Luxel
recently cooperated with customers on designs which include
anti-convection baffles and capsule supports inside the hohlraum configuration,
shown at left. Each hohlraum has four 1000Å thick polyimide baffles
located both above and below the target capsule. The two capsule supports
or " tents" are also fabricated from polyimide film.
Laser targets manufactured by Luxel also include thin film coatings of a variety of
materials configured as microdots and strips. These targets of customer-selected materials
are produced by vacuum deposition through masks. Luxel's available masks include 50µm and
100µm diameter dots to 150µm wide by 2cm long strips. Custom masking requirements may
also be accommodated.
Co-mixed metal coatings and coatings of layered materials can also be fabricated by this
method to form a spot of a precise size on a thin plastic film. Recent efforts along these
lines have produced gold, aluminum, and selenium microdots, layers of niobium-silicon, and
co-mixes such as gold/silicon, iron/sodium fluoride layered with carbon, silver/sodium
chloride, gold/sodium chloride and niobium/sodium chloride.
Luxel's laser targets are customized to meet individual researchers needs as
required. Inquiries regarding custom configurations are welcomed. Contact
us.
02/13/2004
LUXEL CORPORATION
