Fabrication of Thin Walled Glow Discharge Polymer Shells

Thin walled (≈ 1 μm) plastic shells, about 900 μm in diameter, are needed for the OMEGA cryogenic experiments. We investigated the possibility of fabricating these targets by modifying the coating parameters in the glow discharge polymerization system traditionally used for making ICF targets. The final plasma polymer shells were tested for buckling pressure in a home-made apparatus. Robust 1 μm thick shells with buckling pressures above 0.1 atm (1.5 psi) could be routinely made by depositing at lower system pressures. Effects of some other deposition parameters are also discussed.