Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik

MM 44: Functional Materials II

MM 44.3: Talk

Friday, March 18, 2011, 11:00–11:15, IFW A

Blister formation on polycrystalline tungsten due to low-energy deuterium plasma loading — •Armin Manhard, Klaus Schmid, Wolfgang Jacob, Martin Balden, and Stefan Lindig — Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Assoziation, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching

When polycrystalline tungsten is loaded with deuterium due to plasma implantation with ion energies well below the sputtering threshold but with a high ion flux, the surface morphology of a well-polished specimen can change dramatically. This can be attributed to the supersaturation of the material with deuterium during plasma implantation. Depending on tungsten microstructure, ion flux and specimen temperature, various surface structures such as blisters and other protrusions appear. Their size ranges from microns to tens of microns and each one features a subsurface cavity. These cavities are typically located orders of magnitude deeper than the stopping range of the implanted ions.

This presentation focuses on the formation of blisters on rolled and subsequently polished and stress-relieved tungsten. The abundance and size distribution of the blisters is discussed depending on the specimen temperature. The influence of the initial surface morphology such as, e.g., surface roughness is also addressed. The influence of the tungsten microstructure is examined by investigating recrystallized and subsequently implanted tungsten specimens. In this context, the formation of different types of protrusions which appear on the surface of recrystallized tungsten for very high ion fluxes is also discussed.