Analysis of fuel retention in plasma-facing components from controlled fusion devices

First wall components in controlled fusion devices undergo severe modification by various physical and chemical processes arising from plasma–wall interactions: material erosion, its transport in the plasma and re-deposition. The intention of this work is to give a concise overview of key issues in the characterization of plasma-facing materials and components in tokamaks. The importance of surface analysis in studies of fuel inventory and material migration is presented. Experimental procedures and analysis methods are briefly reviewed with emphasis on ion beam techniques which play a prominent role in studies of wall components exposed to hot plasmas. Practical aspects in the analytical approach are addressed and special instrumentation used in these studies is described.