Studies on the near-surface trapping of deuterium in implantation experiments

Abstract Surface-shifted deuterium profiles are re-examined in deuterium-ion irradiation experiments by using a combined experimental and modelling approach. Recrystallized tungsten foil samples were irradiated with energetic deuterium ions and the defect and deuterium depth profiles were studied using positron annihilation spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. We report direct experimental evidence of trapping of deuterium at the vacancies created by the deuterium ions themselves during the implantation by using positron annihilation studies. The deuterium profile is simulated using a Monte-Carlo diffusion model by taking into account the defect-aided diffusion of deuterium due to the local strain field created by the vacancies. The simulations also elucidate the role of the anisotropy in the diffusion and trapping of deuterium in ion-implantation experiments in metals.