Effect of 10Â MW/m2 plasma exposure on W-SiC/SiC dual layer tiles

W-SiC/SiC dual layer tile has many advantages as a high heat flux component (HHFC) material for fusion, in theory. However, due to insufficient data known, its high potentiality and near term availability has not been well recognized. This work provides the recent materials R&D status and the first plasma exposure test result from the world largest helical device, large helical device of National Institute for Fusion Science in Japan. Tungsten armor with SiC/SiC substrate layer survived during the LHD plasma exposure with 10 MW/m2 maximum heat load for the 5.3-s operation cycle. The macro and microstructure evolution, including crack and pore formation, was analyzed and an excellent high heat load resistance was demonstrated.