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Molybdenum and rhodium are foreseen to be utilized in ITER for the light reflecting, plasma facing components called first mirrors (FMs). In this work, the plasma and impurity conditions which FMs are expected to be subjected to were simulated experimentally, while monitoring their reflectivity. Experiments include deuterium plasma exposure with tungsten–carbon and tungsten–aluminum impurities, where aluminum was employed as a proxy for beryllium. The surface composition and morphology of the mirrors were characterized with XPS and SEM. When carbon was present in the plasma, the molybdenum surface became carbidized, while this effect was not observed for rhodium. Aluminum impurities were deposited as oxides, whereas tungsten was either oxidized or carbidized depending on the presence of carbon in the plasma. SEM results show the deposits to be amorphous. The mirrors in erosion conditions showed no critical decrease in the reflectivity, whereas the degradation was severe in net deposition conditions involving carbon. Cleaning techniques have to be developed for mirrors in deposition conditions, which should be part of ITER’s routine operation.

The effects of low flux, low temperature deuterium plasma (LTP) exposure on nanocrystalline rhodium (Rh) films are investigated. The exposures do not cause any surface damage on the nanoscale and the specific electrical resistivity of the films remains invariant during exposures. However, the spectral reflectivity of Rh decreases during exposure and recovers very slowly during subsequent storage in high vacuum. This drop in the reflectivity can be associated with a formation of a subsurface rhodium deuteride (RhD x , x ≤ 2), which has optical constants different to those of Rh. After air storage of the exposed samples, the Rh surface gets depopulated of deuterium adsorbates due to a catalytic reaction taking place between oxygen and deuterium, which results in a diffusion of the incorporated deuterium first to the surface and then into the air. Consequently, the reflectivity is rapidly recovered. Comparison of the ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) measurements performed before and after plasma exposure reveals an increase in the work function which is attributed to deuterium adsorbates on the surface. Changes in the valence band structure were also observed with UPS measurements, lending support to the suggestion of subsurface RhD x formation. Deuterium atoms in Rh are electron donors filling the 4d states above the Fermi level, thus reducing optical transitions.

Metallic mirrors are foreseen to play a crucial role for all optical diagnostics in ITER. Therefore, the development of reliable techniques for the production of mirrors which are able to maintain their optical properties in the harsh ITER environment is highly important. By applying magnetron sputtering and evaporation techniques, rhodium and molybdenum films have been prepared for tokamak tests. The films were characterised in terms of chemical composition, surface roughness, crystallite structure, reflectivity and adhesion. No impurities were detected on the surface after deposition. The effects of deposition parameters and substrate temperature on the resulting crystallite structure, surface roughness and hence on the reflectivity, were investigated. The films are found to exhibit nanometric crystallites with a dense columnar structure. Open boundaries between the crystallite columns, which are sometimes present after evaporation, are found to reduce the reflectivity as compared to rhodium or molybdenum references.

A set of seven polycrystalline mirror samples retrieved from the JET tokamak has been cleaned in vacuum using a pulsed laser system. The surfaces of samples exposed to plasma during 2008–2009 campaigns as part of the second phase of a comprehensive first mirror test contained a mixture of carbon, beryllium and tritium. For this reason, the samples were treated in a vacuum chamber constructed specially for this purpose. In some cases mirrors show an increase of the specular reflectivity after cleaning, though beryllium and carbon deposits were not fully removed. Additionally, three samples coated in PISCES-B with a 110–120 nm beryllium layer were subjected to laser cleaning tests as well.

A laser ablation system has been constructed and used to determine the damage threshold of stainless steel, rhodium and single-, poly- and nanocrystalline molybdenum in vacuum, at a number of wavelengths between 220 and 1064 nm using 5 ns pulses. All materials show an increase of the damage threshold with decreasing wavelength below 400 nm. Tests in a nitrogen atmosphere showed a decrease of the damage threshold by a factor of two to three. Cleaning tests have been performed in vacuum on stainless steel samples after applying mixed Al/W/C/D coatings using magnetron sputtering. In situ XPS analysis during the cleaning process as well ex situ reflectivity measurements demonstrate near complete removal of the coating and a substantial recovery of the reflectivity. The first results also show that the reflectivity obtained through cleaning at 532 nm may be further increased by additional exposure to UV light, in this case 230 nm, an effect which is attributed to the removal of tungsten dust from the surface., 19 pages, 16 figures

An in situ spectroscopic reflectometry system has been built to investigate the evolution of the specular reflectivity spectrum of ITER first mirror samples during plasma exposure. Results are presented for three different types of molybdenum mirror samples that were exposed to deuterium plasma, including single crystalline, nanocrystalline, and polycrystalline molybdenum. The results show good agreement with ex situ measurements of the reflectivity spectrum before and after exposure and extend the results obtained in previous experiments.

Optical diagnostic systems of ITER are foreseen to include metallic, plasma-facing, electromagnetic radiation reflecting components called first mirrors (FMs). Molybdenum coatings are important candidates for these components. Depending on the local plasma parameters of the reactor, the mirrors may be under net erosion or deposition conditions. In this work, we exposed molybdenum coatings to a high-flux deuterium plasma in order to test their roughening limits under erosion conditions. The high energy of deuterium ions (500 eV on average) results in more vigorous roughening of the surface compared with lower energy ions (200 eV). Longer exposure (3 × 1020 ions cm−2) of the 200 eV ions results in only a slightly increased roughness compared with shorter exposure (6.8 × 1019 ions cm−2). Both phenomena match to the theory regarding roughening dynamics of physical sputtering. A comparison of results in this work with previous studies gives support to the hypothesis that roughening is flux and temperature dependent. Partial delamination of the coatings is observed upon exposure at room temperature, but not at an elevated temperature (200 °C). In summary, Mo coatings will remain functional in the ITER environment under the expected conditions. However, changes in the expected conditions such as 500 eV mean energy of impinging charge exchange neutrals or

Metallic first mirrors (FMs) are foreseen to play a crucial role for all optical diagnostics in ITER. It is highly important for the FMs to maintain a good reflectivity both in erosion and deposition zones in the harsh ITER environment. Molybdenum mirrors, which are important candidates for the FMs, exhibit a reflectivity spectrum different from that of bulk molybdenum after exposure to low temperature (4–5 eV) deuterium plasma. This difference is mainly due to the presence of deuterium and deuterium-induced defects in the metal. The results presented show that these reflectivity changes are similar for single and nanocrystalline molybdenum mirrors. Moreover, exposure of magnetron sputtered nanocrystalline molybdenum films to deuterium plasma revealed that after a certain deviation of the spectrum has been reached, the reflectivity remains constant upon further exposure. Exposures were carried out in a range of fluences corresponding to up to 18 ITER discharges in equatorial ports and 38 discharges in the upper ports in the first wall positions. Constant conditions of −200 V bias and 150 °C temperature were maintained on the samples. Further exposures performed in a tokamak result in reflectivity changes that are comparable to those obtained with deuterium plasma exposure. No mechanical damage, such as blistering and increase in roughness, is observed on the coated molybdenum films upon any of the mentioned exposures. The complex permittivity of the exposed molybdenum is determined from ellipsometry measurements and corroborated with core and valence level photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and surface resistivity measurements.

In order to extend the investigation of laser-assisted cleaning of ITER-relevant first mirror materials to the picosecond regime, a commercial laser system delivering 10-ps pulses at 355 nm at a fr...