Beryllium deposition on International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor first mirrors : layer morphology and influence on mirror reflectivity

Metallic mirrors will be essential components of the optical diagnostic systems in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Reliability of these systems may be affected by mirror reflectivity changes induced by erosion and/or deposition of impurities (carbon, beryllium). The present study aims to assess the effect of beryllium (Be) deposition on the reflectivity of metallic mirrors and to collect data on the optical quality of these layers in terms of morphology, roughness, etc. Mirrors from molybdenum and copper were exposed in the PISCES-B linear plasma device to collect eroded material from graphite and beryllium targets exposed to beryllium-seeded deuterium plasma. After exposure, relative reflectivity of the mirrors was measured and different surface analysis techniques were used to investigate the properties of the deposited layers. Be layers formed in PISCES-B exhibit high levels of porosity which makes the reflectivity of the Be layers much lower than the reflectivity of pure Be. It is found that if Be deposition occurs on ITER first mirrors, the reflectivity of the coated mirrors will strongly depend on the layer morphology, which in turn depends on the deposition conditions. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.