Formation and delamination of beryllium carbide films

Impurities generated by erosion of different plasma facing components will be transported by the plasma and re-deposited elsewhere, as in the main wall or in the divertor modules of nuclear fusion reactors. Moreover, the composition of the exposed surfaces will evolve over time due to elemental interdiffusion and chemical reactions induced by local heat-load events. Flaking of re-deposited layers, leading to the contamination of the main plasma, has already been reported. This work investigates the role of compound formation in the delamination mechanism of superficial films within the Be/C/O system. The results evidence that compound formation may induce by itself the emission of dust particles into the plasma.