HYDROGEN-ION SPUTTERING OF BORATED GRAPHITE

The development and choice of material for the first wall and other energy-stressed parts of the discharge chamber are an important aspect of fusion reactor construction. In particular, carbon-graphite materials are proposed for making limiters and protective shields of the first wall and receiving plates of diverter devices. Sputtering under ion bombardment is one of the main mechanisms of material erosion [i]; in addition, in the case of carbon-graphite materials chemical sputtering also occurs as a result of the formation of highly volatile hydrocarbon compounds during the reaction with ions of hydrogen isotopes.