Surface characterization of SiC composites exposed to deuterium ions, using atomic force microscopy

We study the influence of deuterium plasma on the surface structure of SiC based composites. The substrates are silicon carbides doped with titanium diboride, aluminium nitride or graphite. A number of surface sensitive techniques are used to characterize the substrates, before and after exposure to low-energy deuterium ions, the main method being atomic force microscopy. The microscope reveals distinct morphological changes on the irradiated samples. The density and surface area of the samples probably influence the content of deuterium in the surfaces. However, this study shows that the amount of graphite aggregated on the surfaces is of crucial importance for the uptake of deuterium.