Helium-implanted CLAM steel and evolutionary behavior of defects investigated by positron-annihilation spectroscopy

Abstract

China Low Activation Martensitic (CLAM) steel has been chosen as the primary candidate structural material for the first wall/blanket for fusion reactor. The excessive helium irradiation induced damage of CLAM steel at high temperatures and the evolution of defects were investigated in this paper. The samples were homogeneously implanted with 1e+17ions/cm2 and 100keV of helium at room temperature, 473, 673, and 873K. Irradiation induced damage of CLAM steel and the annealing behavior of defects were probed by slow positron beam Doppler broadening technique. Helium implantation produced a large number of vacancy-type defects which bound with helium and formed helium–vacancy complexes. Target atoms’ displacement capacity was strengthened with rising irradiation temperatures, so the S parameter increased with increasing irradiation temperatures, and helium–vacancy complexes were main defects after helium implantation at damage layers. Helium bubbles would be unstable and the desorption of helium bubbles would promote the density of defects above 673K. By analyzing the curves of S–W and annealing tests of irradiated specimen, it suggested that there werenot only one type of defect in damage layers. Though helium–vacancy complexes were primary defects after helium implanted, introducing excessive helium might also generated other point defects or dislocation loops in the material.