Production of thin, self-supporting ²⁸Si foils for near barrier fusion experiments with radioactive beams

In the era of radioactive beams several experiments require production of isotopically enriched targets. Use of enriched starting material requires that the production process for making the target be as efficient as possible. It is additionally challenging when the experiments are low-energy and require that the targets be thin and self-supporting. The design, construction and performance of an electron gun evaporation system at Indiana University is detailed. Using ^natSi the choice of substrate and thickness of release agent used in the evaporation process was determined. The successful production of the ²⁸Si targets necessary for an upcoming experiment is described.