Formation of D inventories and structural modifications by deuterium bombardment of tungsten thin films

Magnetron deposited W layers were irradiated with 9 keV D 3 + ions up to fluences of 7 × 1023 D/m2. The erosion of the tungsten layers and the formation of D inventories were investigated by means of ion beam analysis. Under certain conditions blistering of the W-layer was observed. The measured W sputtering yield and deuterium depth distribution are compared with those measured for bulk tungsten. The results show that W films are a suitable alternative to bulk tungsten in experiments on plasma-wall interactions with significantly improved diagnostic accessibility.