Surface analyses

Successful operation of ITER and future fusion devices requires a high enough lifetime of plasma-facing components (PFCs) and keeping accumulation of in-vessel tritium inventory in them below an administrative safety limit (1kg at ITER).

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) at VTT has been utilised for investigating the erosion of PFCs, migration of impurities and finally co-deposition of impurities on PFCs for about 20 years. SIMS has been one of the key techniques in the characterisation of PFCs in addition to ion beam techniques and thermal desorption spectroscopy available in various European laboratories. SIMS provides elemental composition as a function of depth and amount of fuel of PFCs removed from various European fusion devices such as JET, ASDEX Upgrade, Tore Supra, WEST and W7-X. In addition to SIMS, VTT has a laboratory for handling tritium and beryllium contaminated materials.

Helsinki Accelerator Laboratory focuses on materials of importance for nanotechnology, micro- and optoelectronics, spintronics, fusion technology and particle detectors. Their properties are studied by applying various ion beam based techniques as well as by computational means. The respective equipment employed for these activities is described in detail under the various laboratory profiles.