Toward the Fabrication of a NIF Target via Hemisphere Joining

A design and a method for the fabrication of a NIF-sized beryllium capsule have been developed. The approach involves machining two halves of the 2.2 mm target from a piece of bulk beryllium copper alloy, joining the two halves under atmosphere, and finish machining the outer dimensions after joining. This design allows for the filling of the capsule either during joining or afterward using either permeation or a drill-and-plug technique. The capsules produced so far have had excellent bond joint quality and were dimensionally very close to the specifications. Needing improvement are the surface finishes, both interior and exterior of the shell.