Low energy and low fluence helium implantations in tungsten: Molecular dynamics simulations and experiments

300 eV Helium implantation process into tungsten at 300 K has been studied with molecular dynamic simulations (MD). Predicted retention doses were compared to that obtained from experiments performed in equivalent conditions. A saturation phenomenon of the helium retention was evidenced for a number of impinging He atoms and a retention dose similar in both, experiments and simulations. From MD simulations it is learnt that observed Helium diffusion, formation and coalescence of clusters are the phenomena leading to the flaking of the substrate. These processes could explain the saturation of the Helium retention observed experimentally at low energies. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.