Materials selection for the in situ mirrors of laser diagnostics in fusion devices

Abstract

When mirrors for the laser scattering diagnostic for large fusion devices need to be inside the vacuum chamber, they are subjected to irradiation by multiple high-energy laser pulses and bombardment by charge exchange atoms. Both of these assaults are known to degrade and eventually damage metal laser mirrors given sufficient time and flux. Our aim in this article is to use current data on these damage mechanisms to make design selections of metal mirror materials for application in fusion device diagnostics. We identify tradeoffs between low sputtering rates and multipulse laser damage resistance in candidate metals. The data for multipulse laser damage are incomplete and extend to a maximum of only 104 shots for a few metals. However, there is a clear trend of decreasing laser-damage threshold with increasing number of shots, and damage threshold fluences can fall to 10% of the single-pulse damaging laser fluence. Further experiments up to 106 or 108 laser shots need to be conducted on the likely mirror candidate metals for use in new plasma devices. We define a figure-of-merit based on current laser damage data and employ it in our analysis. Recent data on the sputtering yield and reflectance degradation of metal mirrors give a different priority ranking of candidate metals. Overall, the preferred material selection depends on the number of laser shots and the number of plasma pulses that the mirror must endure before replacement is allowed. For example, we find that for conditions typical of the LHD (10 s plasma pulses with a 10 Hz laser PRF), Au, Ag, and Cu are candidate materials if mirrors are replaced after 103 plasma pulses; Au and Rh are candidates if the replacement interval is 104 pulses; and if the replacement interval is further increased to 105 plasma pulses, then Mo is the candidate material. Other materials might also be candidates but the data on them are still insufficient.