Large optics for the National Ignition Facility

Technical Report · Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 EST 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1241948· OSTI ID:1241948

Baisden, P. ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser with its 192 independent laser beams is not only the world’s largest laser, it is also the largest optical system ever built. With its 192 independent laser beams, the NIF requires a total of 7648 large-aperture (meter-sized) optics. One of the many challenges in designing and building NIF has been to carry out the research and development on optical materials, optics design, and optics manufacturing and metrology technologies needed to achieve NIF’s high output energies and precision beam quality. This paper describes the multiyear, multi-supplier, development effort that was undertaken to develop the advanced optical materials, coatings, fabrication technologies, and associated process improvements necessary to manufacture the wide range of NIF optics. The optics include neodymium-doped phosphate glass laser amplifiers; fused silica lenses, windows, and phase plates; mirrors and polarizers with multi-layer, high-reflectivity dielectric coatings deposited on BK7 substrates; and potassium di-hydrogen phosphate crystal optics for fast optical switches, frequency conversion, and polarization rotation. Also included is a discussion of optical specifications and custom metrology and quality-assurance tools designed, built, and fielded at supplier sites to verify compliance with the stringent NIF specifications. In addition, a brief description of the ongoing program to improve the operational lifetime (i.e., damage resistance) of optics exposed to high fluence in the 351-nm (3ω) is provided.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-07NA27344
• OSTI ID: 1241948
• Report Number(s): LLNL-TR-666625; TRN: US1600907
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DOPED MATERIALS
US NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY
HYDROGEN PHOSPHATES
LASERS
NEODYMIUM
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
AMPLIFIERS
DESIGN
SILICA
SWITCHES
PHOSPHATE GLASS
COATINGS
ROTATION
SPECIFICATIONS
TOOLS
OPTICAL SYSTEMS
QUALITY ASSURANCE
ACCURACY
COMPLIANCE
FREQUENCY CONVERTERS
CRYSTALS
FABRICATION
LAYERS
LENSES
SERVICE LIFE
MANUFACTURING
MIRRORS
PLATES
POLARIZATION
RADIATION HARDENING
MEASURING METHODS
National Ignition Facility
optics fabrication for high fluence lasers
large-aperture optical metrology tools