SCHOTT laser glass powers another historic fusion milestone

Wednesday, 21 May 2025, Duryea, PA, United States

  • Laser glass from SCHOTT enabled the record-setting 8.6 megajoule energy output at the U.S.’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) – a breakthrough that more than doubles the lab’s landmark 2022 fusion achievement.
  • 4,000 pieces of SCHOTT’s LG-770 laser glass form a core component of NIF’s 192-beam laser system, which compresses fusion fuel to the extreme conditions required for ignition.
  • As a trusted supplier of laser glass and optical components for the world’s most advanced fusion reactors, SCHOTT continues to support innovation in clean energy research.
     
International technology group SCHOTT has played a crucial role in the latest breakthrough achieved by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. NIF has set a new record by producing 8.6 megajoules of fusion energy, more than doubling its initial 2022 milestone of 3.15 MJ. As confirmed by LLNL to SCHOTT and on their website, its lasers recently delivered 2.08 MJ of energy to the target in a pulse reaching a peak power of 456 terawatts, resulting in a target gain of 4.13. This achievement was made possible in part thanks to a variety of advanced materials supplied by SCHOTT, including 4,000 pieces of high-performance LG-770, a critical component of NIF’s 192-beam laser system.  
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Enabled by glass: High-quality glass materials helped NIF’s scientists to reach a spectacular breakthrough in clean energy production. Image credit. SCHOTT/NIF
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For more than five decades, scientists have pursued the ambitious goal of replicating the fusion reactions that power the sun, aiming to unlock a virtually limitless source of clean energy by generating more energy from fusion than is required to initiate the reaction. This breakthrough—known as net energy gain—has long been considered a critical milestone toward making fusion a practical and sustainable energy solution. Now, NIF has successfully achieved net energy gain for the eighth time, breaking its own record and demonstrating steady progress toward realizing the promise of fusion power.

Bill James, Head of Research and Development for SCHOTT North America, Inc., expresses his team's excitement about this achievement, stating, "Our optics teams have been dedicated to this goal for decades, overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. We are proud to continue delivering impeccable glass solutions as part of our commitment to developing clean power solutions and become a key enabler for fusion experiments around the globe."

Fusion ignition with advanced materials from SCHOTT

SCHOTT's advanced materials, including laser glass, other critical optical glass, and specialty glass components, are integral to NIF's research. These components are manufactured and processed in Duryea, PA, as well as in Europe. The world's largest laser system at NIF relies on SCHOTT's laser glass and optical glass to enable its groundbreaking research.

Learn how the fusion experiment works:

(Read an in-depth background story about SCHOTT’s contribution to the world’s largest laser system in our magazine: Recreating the Sun)

“The laser glass is the heart of the laser. It is the material that leads to the increase in energy and power of the laser light. It occupies almost a third of the large optics that are in NIF,” says NIF’s Program Director of Optics and Materials Science & Technology, Tayyab Suratwala.
A heart made of glass: The pioneering story of nuclear fusion at NIF

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SCHOTT's contributions to NIF's high-energy laser also extend beyond laser glass. The company also supplies fused silica, debris shields made of BOROFLOAT®, N-BK7 polarizers, turning mirror substrates, blast shields, and specialty filters, all of which play vital roles in NIF's groundbreaking research.

One step closer to a future powered by fusion

NIF’s latest fusion energy breakthrough represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of clean and sustainable power generation. With SCHOTT's ongoing support and innovative glass solutions, NIF continues to push the boundaries of laser fusion research, bringing us closer to a future powered by fusion energy. This breakthrough not only marks ignition but also demonstrates a net energy gain that could lead to commercial-scale power generation with fusion technology in the future.

About SCHOTT

International technology group SCHOTT produces high-quality components and advanced materials, including specialty glass, glass-ceramics, and polymers. Many SCHOTT products have high-tech applications that push technological boundaries, such as flexible glass in foldable smartphones, glass-ceramic mirror substrates in the world's largest telescopes, and laser glass in nuclear fusion. With their pioneering spirit, SCHOTT’s 17,100 employees in over 30 countries work as partners to industries such as healthcare, home appliances, consumer electronics, semiconductors, optics, astronomy, energy, and aerospace. In FY 2024, SCHOTT generated €2.8 billion in sales. In addition to innovation, one of its important corporate goals is sustainability, where it is pursuing climate neutral production by 2030. SCHOTT was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Mainz, Germany. The company belongs to the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which uses its dividends to promote science. Further information at SCHOTT.com

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Michael Müller, Head of Corporate Communications
Michael Müller

Head of Corporate Communications