Abstract
This work is devoted to studying the effect of mixed W–C layers on the change in the surface morphology and structuralphase states of the tungsten surface layer under the influence of D plasma. Experiments on carbidization and plasma irradiation were carried out on a plasma-beam installation (PBI) at different ion energies and surface temperatures. Methane (CH4) was used as a working gas during carbidization, and deuterium was used for plasma irradiation. The effect of D plasma with an ion energy of 500 eV on the tungsten surface with mixed layers led to the destruction of carbide compounds at a temperature of ~1750 °C and further erosion of tungsten. However, at a temperature of ~900 °C, mixed layers based on two phases (WC and W2C) have a high resistance to deuterium action, as evidenced by an insignificant change in the phase content.