Changes to the reflectance of Be mirrors due to deuterium plasmas contaminated with oxygen

The reflectance of Be mirrors due to impact by ions from a deuterium plasma has been studied under several bombardment conditions. Analysis of the resulting surface films has been performed using various diagnostic techniques, with the conclusion that the primary factor leading to the decrease in reflectance following bombardment with energetic ions is the conversion of the surface oxide layer, composed of BeO, to the hydroxide, Be(OD)2, with a corresponding increase in the optical extinction coefficient. The increase in the thickness of the layer is also important. Modifications to the surface layer are thought to involve a balance between the ion-induced diffusion of Be atoms to the surface where they may react with incident D and O atoms, and physical and chemical sputtering processes. For incident ion energies less than ∼50eV, chemical reactions leading to disoxidation of the oxide–hydroxide film dominate, while keV-range ions (primarily D, but with some O impurities) lead to the formation of hydroxide, and an increase in the surface layer thickness.