Characterization of surface morphology and retention in tungsten materials exposed to high fluxes of deuterium ions in the tritium plasma experiment

Under appropriate conditions, exposing tungsten to a high flux D plasma creates near-surface blisters and other changes in surface morphology. We have characterized the sizes of blisters formed at different temperatures (147°C≤T_surface≤704°C) and performed a surface analysis to elucidate factors that influence blister formation. Tungsten targets that were exposed to low energy (70 eV) D ions at a flux of 1.1×10²² m^-2 s^-1 in the tritium plasma experiment (TPE) were considered. We used AES to analyze the surface for evidence of implanted impurities. Blister diameters and heights were quantified using SEM imagery and vertical scanning interferometry. Given the likelihood of D precipitation in blisters, we expect that the data obtained here could be incorporated into a computational model to better simulate the diffusion and desorption of D in W. With this in mind, we present an analysis of thermal desorption profiles showing the release of D from the surface.