The target consists of a hydrocarbon (CH) film with a sharply defined spot (microspot) in the center seeded with another material.

The microspot target is one of the most important targets in the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiment, its fabrication technology is complicated.

On December 22nd 2008, a holding pond at a Tennessee Valley Authority coal-fired power plant ruptured, sending 978m gallons (3,702m litres) of ash into a nearby river, where it turned to sludge.