2013 Volume 8 Pages 1202110
A simple new tool for deposition layer studies, a directional material probe, is proposed. The probe, which examines the directionality of deposition layer formation, consists of a flat disk and pin. If deposits have directionality, a shadow of the pin is formed on the deposition layer on the disk. If no shadow appears on the deposition layer, this suggests that the deposition layer was formed isotropically. The probe can be applied to plasma-wall interaction studies in fusion devices and laboratory plasma devices such as linear divertor simulators to reveal the material migration mechanisms in such devices. The directional material probe method has been applied to plasma-wall interaction studies in the Large Helical Device (LHD), and a position-dependent variation in the directionality of deposition layer formation was found.
