Recent Contributions to the Use of Polyimide in the Fabrication of ICF and IFE Targets

This paper discusses some recent contributions to the use of polyimide in the fabrication of targets for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE). Polyimide has many desirable properties, including much higher strength and the ability to withstand much higher temperatures than similar polymer films. Recent research efforts have focused on the use of polyimide in a number of applications including gasbag targets, hohlraum windows, spherical target capsules, anti-convection baffles and various shaped membranes such as target capsule supports and cylindrical z-pinch targets where polyimide's advantages contribute to superior target performance. Also covered are the fabrication of thick-wall target capsules and the potential production of thin-wall spherical capsules by a fully automated process.