Fabrication of pressurized 2 mm beryllium targets for ICF experiments

We have successfully fabricated 2 min beryllium targets pressurized with a gas mixture of similar to 20 mm deuterium and similar to 0.1 atin argon. These targets have been used for indirect drive Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments on the Z-pinch machine at Sandia National Laboratories leading to record neutron yields of similar to 3.5x10(11) [J.E. Bailey, et al., '' Be Capsule Implosions Driven by Dynamic Hohlraum X-rays,'' Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 51, 107 (2006)]. This paper will discuss the process of fabricating such targets from intact shells (Be sputter coated CH mandrels). These processes include laser drilling a similar to 6,um diameter fill hole in a shell, removing the CH mandrel by pyrolysis, pressurizing the target with a deuterium/argon gas mixture and sealing the fill hole using UV glue while under pressure. The targets were characterized for gas pressure and deuterium gas permeation half/life by utilizing techniques including mass spectrometry, x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and controlled shell bursting.