Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material
The understanding and prediction of silicon carbide (SiC) material evolution exposed to SOL plasma conditions is of prime interest because SiC represents a promising main chamber wall plasma-facing material for next-step fusion devices (low hydrogenic diffusion, good mechanical and thermal propertie...
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| Format: | Article |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nuclear Fusion |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ada8bd |
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| author | Aritra De Jerome Guterl Zachary Bergstrom Tyler Abrams Gregory Sinclair John David Elder Dmitry Rudakov |
| author_facet | Aritra De Jerome Guterl Zachary Bergstrom Tyler Abrams Gregory Sinclair John David Elder Dmitry Rudakov |
| author_sort | Aritra De |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The understanding and prediction of silicon carbide (SiC) material evolution exposed to SOL plasma conditions is of prime interest because SiC represents a promising main chamber wall plasma-facing material for next-step fusion devices (low hydrogenic diffusion, good mechanical and thermal properties under neutron irradiation). Gross and net Si erosion rates from SiC surfaces in contact with a well-diagnosed L-mode plasma in the DIII-D tokamak have been simulated and the surface concentrations of impurities have been tracked as a function of time. Coupled simulation of surface model and impurity transport demonstrates amorphization of crystalline SiC exposed to L-mode plasma due to the accumulation of displacement damages under ion irradiation. This affects the lifetime of SiC plasma facing components. Surface evolution is tightly coupled to impurity transport in the plasma and therefore needs to be integrated with impurity transport simulations to effectively predict Si erosion rates and sub-surface concentrations as a function of time. The simulation workflow couples a semi-analytical surface model to the impurity transport code GITR. The surface model is a homogeneous mixed-material model that tracks physical & chemical sputtering and reflection of impurities. Gross erosion is primarily influenced by the background plasma parameters and redeposition patterns are mainly influenced by the prompt redeposition due to the gyro-orbits of impurity ions. Although crystalline form of SiC is preferable for fusion wall applications because of resistance to neutron irradiation, this work indicates that crystalline SiC will undergo amorphization under D plasma contact with implications of higher sputtering and fuel retention. These results direct us to explore the effects of amorphization on crystalline SiC and further the physics basis of SiC usage as first wall material for fusion environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10054307debf4578bc97aef529f35fee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0029-5515 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | Nuclear Fusion |
| spelling | doaj-art-10054307debf4578bc97aef529f35fee2025-01-24T08:59:40ZengIOP PublishingNuclear Fusion0029-55152025-01-0165202604810.1088/1741-4326/ada8bdAmorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall materialAritra De0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7882-8068Jerome Guterl1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1049-3094Zachary Bergstrom2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5463-790XTyler Abrams3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9605-6871Gregory Sinclair4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4195-177XJohn David Elder5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3350-5841Dmitry Rudakov6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5266-4269Oak Ridge Associated Universities , Oak Ridge, TN 37830, United States of AmericaGeneral Atomics , San Diego, CA 92121, United States of AmericaGeneral Atomics , San Diego, CA 92121, United States of AmericaGeneral Atomics , San Diego, CA 92121, United States of AmericaGeneral Atomics , San Diego, CA 92121, United States of AmericaUniversity of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, CanadaUniversity of California , La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, United States of AmericaThe understanding and prediction of silicon carbide (SiC) material evolution exposed to SOL plasma conditions is of prime interest because SiC represents a promising main chamber wall plasma-facing material for next-step fusion devices (low hydrogenic diffusion, good mechanical and thermal properties under neutron irradiation). Gross and net Si erosion rates from SiC surfaces in contact with a well-diagnosed L-mode plasma in the DIII-D tokamak have been simulated and the surface concentrations of impurities have been tracked as a function of time. Coupled simulation of surface model and impurity transport demonstrates amorphization of crystalline SiC exposed to L-mode plasma due to the accumulation of displacement damages under ion irradiation. This affects the lifetime of SiC plasma facing components. Surface evolution is tightly coupled to impurity transport in the plasma and therefore needs to be integrated with impurity transport simulations to effectively predict Si erosion rates and sub-surface concentrations as a function of time. The simulation workflow couples a semi-analytical surface model to the impurity transport code GITR. The surface model is a homogeneous mixed-material model that tracks physical & chemical sputtering and reflection of impurities. Gross erosion is primarily influenced by the background plasma parameters and redeposition patterns are mainly influenced by the prompt redeposition due to the gyro-orbits of impurity ions. Although crystalline form of SiC is preferable for fusion wall applications because of resistance to neutron irradiation, this work indicates that crystalline SiC will undergo amorphization under D plasma contact with implications of higher sputtering and fuel retention. These results direct us to explore the effects of amorphization on crystalline SiC and further the physics basis of SiC usage as first wall material for fusion environments.https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ada8bdplasma material interactionsimpurity transportsilicon carbidesurface model |
| spellingShingle | Aritra De Jerome Guterl Zachary Bergstrom Tyler Abrams Gregory Sinclair John David Elder Dmitry Rudakov Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material Nuclear Fusion plasma material interactions impurity transport silicon carbide surface model |
| title | Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material |
| title_full | Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material |
| title_fullStr | Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material |
| title_full_unstemmed | Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material |
| title_short | Amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material |
| title_sort | amorphization and siliconization of silicon carbide as a first wall material |
| topic | plasma material interactions impurity transport silicon carbide surface model |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ada8bd |
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