Following the success of the 2010 3rd Target Fabrication Workshop, the 4th Target Fabrication Workshop, hosted by the Technical University Darmstadt (TUD) took place at the Erbacher Hof, Mainz, Germany.

 

In attendance were a total of 45 delegates from 18 institutions across the world, including representatives from Germany, France, Hungary, Spain, Italy, the USA and the UK.

The workshop consisted of 6, half-day sessions covering:

  • General Target Fabrication
  • Target Characterisation and Metrology
  • High Rep Rate Targetry
  • Low Density Materials
  • Cryogenic Targets
  • Ultra-thin Targets.

A hands-on target fabrication session also allowed delegates to try out various techniques in microassembly. There was even time for a visit to the GSI ion beam facility (photo left), just outside Darmstadt, and the opportunity to view their Target Preparation Laboratory.

 

Once again, this has been a highly productive and successful meeting of the target fabrication community. The overall feel of the workshop was one of great positivity which grew over the four days as opportunities and collaborations arose. Microtarget requirements for high power lasers, now and in the future, acted as a catalyst to bring together many specialist branches of science and technology and it will be fascinating to see how much Target Fabrication, particularly in Europe, develops over the next few years.

This year’s event was organised by the Technical University of Darmstadt and STFC and sponsored by HiPER, Scitech Precision and AWE. It was co-located with the International Nuclear Target Development Society (INTDS) conference to promote collaborations between the two communities and shared joint sessions on facility developments and metrology challenges.