Loop punching and bubble rupture causing surface roughening —A model for W fuzz growth

We develop a multi-scale computational model for studying tungsten fuzz formation under low-energy He irradiation. The molecular dynamics and kinetic Monte Carlo results show that the W fuzz growth mechanism is the following: the He atoms are trapped in W, forming bubbles and causing growth by loop punching. The bubbles close to the surface rupture. The balance between these processes leads to a stochastic surface growth, causing the surface roughness and fuzz thickness growth to scale as . The growth rates agree with the experimental results.