Erosion of nanostructured tungsten by laser ablation, sputtering and arcing

Abstract

Mass loss of nanostructured tungsten, which was formed by helium plasma irradiation, due to laser ablation, sputtering, and arcing was investigated. Below the helium sputtering energy threshold (200eV. Reduction in sputtering on nanostructured surface was observed. Arcing was initiated using laser pulses, and the erosion rate by arcing was measured. The erosion rate increased with arc current, while the erosion per Coulomb was not affected by arc current. Keywords: Nanostructure, Helium plasma, Arcing, Sputtering, Erosion, Tungsten