Advances in Electroplating Gradients and Thick Metallic Coatings on Microspherical Targets for Inertial Confinement Fusion

Electroplating remains an attractive deposition approach for fabricating metal microspherical targets inertial confinement fusion because of its relatively fast rates and ability to produce full-density small grain coatings. Here, we discuss recent advances that allow coating thick (>60 µm) leak-free gold capsules with gradients silver. We present a new apparatus used electroplating hollow (typically 2-mm diameter) mandrels the resulting surface roughness sphericity obtained using this plating method.