Fabrication of Large-Area Glow Discharge Polymer–Deposited Foils

Planar components made from glow discharge polymer (GDP) are commonly used in laser inertial fusion experiments. The thickness profile of GDP coatings on flat substrates follows a nearly Gaussian distribution with a full-width at half-maximum only 20 mm across, restricting the number of usable components with the same thickness that can be made from each substrate. A new coating method to improve the thickness uniformity and increase the usable area of GDP coatings has been simulated and involves rotating the planar substrate while it is offset from the center of the coating chamber. While the coating rate drops to about 40% at the center, the thickness variation is less than 10% out to a radius of 10 mm, increasing the usable area by a factor of over 7, thereby increasing the number of components that can be made from a single coating.