Blister formation in tungsten by hydrogen and carbon mixed ion beam irradiation

Blister formation in tungsten has been studied by mixed carbon and hydrogen ion beam irradiation. The beam ion energies were 1.0 keV and 300 eV, and the fluence was in the range of 1024–1025 ions m−2. It was found that a little amount of carbon impurity in the beam affected blister formation. A large number of blisters with various sizes were observed on the surface of tungsten at 653 K when the carbon concentration was more than 0.35%. When the carbon concentration was 0.11%, no blisters larger than 1.0 μm were observed. When the carbon concentration was 2.35%, a carbon layer developed on the tungsten surface, and again, no blisters were observed. The effect of target temperature on blister formation was also investigated: the sizes and numbers of the blisters were the largest when the tungsten was irradiated at 653 K; when the sample was irradiated at 388 or 873 K, no blisters larger than 1.0 μm were observed.