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2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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Fusion Science and Technology
October 2025
Latest News
Shifting the paradigm of supply chain
Chad Wolf
When I began my nuclear career, I was coached up in the nuclear energy culture of the day to “run silent, run deep,” a mindset rooted in the U.S. Navy’s submarine philosophy. That was the norm—until Fukushima.
The nuclear renaissance that many had envisioned hit a wall. The focus shifted from expansion to survival. Many utility communications efforts pivoted from silence to broadcast, showcasing nuclear energy’s elegance and reliability. Nevertheless, despite being clean baseload 24/7 power that delivered a 90 percent capacity factor or higher, nuclear energy was painted as risky and expensive (alongside energy policies and incentives that favored renewables).
Economics became a driving force threatening to shutter nuclear power. The Delivering the Nuclear Promise initiative launched in 2015 challenged the industry to sustain high performance yet cut costs by up to 30 percent.
C. A. Gentile, H. M. Fan, J. W. Hartfield, R. J. Hawryluk, F. Hegeler, P. J. Heitzenroeder, C. H. Jun, L. P. Ku, P. H. LaMarche, M. C. Myers, J. J. Parker, R. F. Parsells, M. Payen, S. Raftopoulos, J. D. Sethian
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 43 | Number 3 | May 2003 | Pages 414-419
Technical Paper | Lasers and Heavy-Ion Drivers | doi.org/10.13182/FST03-A286
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory, is currently investigating various novel materials (single-crystal silicon, <100>, <110>, and <111>) for use as electron beam transmission windows in a krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser system. The primary function of the window is to isolate the active medium (excimer gas) from the excitation mechanism (field-emission diodes). The chosen window geometry must accommodate electron energy transfer >80% (750 keV) while maintaining the structural integrity during the mechanical load (1.3- to 2.0-atm base pressure differential, ~0.5-atm cyclic pressure amplitude, 5-Hz repetition rate) and the thermal load across the entire hibachi area (~0.9 Wcm-2). In addition, the window must be chemically resistant to attack by fluorine free radicals (hydrofluoric acid, secondary). In accordance with these structural, functional, and operational parameters, a 22.4-mm square silicon prototype window, coated with 500-nm thin-film silicon nitride (Si3N4), has been fabricated. The window consists of 81 square panes 0.019 ± 0.001 mm thick. The stiffened (orthogonal) sections are 0.065 mm wide and 0.500 mm thick (approximate). Assessment of silicon (and silicon nitride) material properties and computer-aided design modeling/analysis of the window design suggest that silicon may be a viable solution to inherent parameters and constraints.
