Developing enabling optics finishing technologies for the National Ignition Facility

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is in the process of constructing the National Ignition Facility, a half million square foot facility which will house a 192 beam laser system capable of generating the 2 million joules of ultraviolet light energy necessary to achieve fusion ignition with inertial targets by 2004. More than 7,000 meter class optics will need to be manufactured by LLNL’s industrial partners to construct the laser system1. The components will be manufactured starting in 1998 and will be finished by 2003.