As neutron yields increase at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) the need for neutron ‘hardened’ diagnostics has also increased. Gated Imagers located within the target chamber are exposed to neutrons which degrade image quality and damage electronics. In an effort to maintain the signal to noise ratio (S/N) on our images and mitigate neutron induced damage, we have implemented numerous upgrades to our X-ray framing cameras. The NIF Gated X-ray Detector (GXD), design has evolved into the Hardened Gated X-ray Detector, HGXD. These improvements are presented with image data taken on high yield NIF shots showing enhanced image quality. Additional upgrades were added to remotely locate sensitive electronics and ease operational use.

Date Published: 10 September 2014
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 9211, Target Diagnostics Physics and Engineering for Inertial Confinement Fusion III, 92110D (10 September 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2065260

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9211:
Target Diagnostics Physics and Engineering for Inertial Confinement Fusion III
Perry M. Bell; Gary P. Grim, Editor(s)