ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
R. McEachern, C. Alford
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 35 | Number 2 | March 1999 | Pages 115-118
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST99-A11963912
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We are studying the feasibility of using boron doping to refine the grain structure of sputter-deposited Be for NIF ignition capsule ablators. The goal is to improve the surface finish and homogeneity of these coatings. Films deposited on flat silicon substrates display a pronounced change in structure at a concentration of ∼11 at.% B. At lower levels of B, grain sizes of about 200 nm are observed. AFM images show the roughness of these films to be about 20 nm rms. At higher levels of B, the grains size drops to below 50 nm and the roughness decreases to less than 2.5 nm rms. Films deposited on capsules do not show the same behavior. In particular, at 15 at.% B, the capsule coatings have nodular structure with an rms roughness of greater than 50 nm. When viewed in cross section, however, no structure is seen with either the flat films or the capsule coatings. We believe that differences in substrate temperature may be largely responsible for the observed behavior.