Coatings in magnetic fusion devices

Coated surfaces have been exposed to plasmas in several magnetic confinement fusion devices, including Alcator‐C, DIVA, Doublet‐III, ISX‐B, JET, JFT‐2, JIPP T‐II, JT‐60, PDX, TEXTOR, TFTR, and ZT‐40. Chemical vapor deposited coatings of titanium carbide (TiC) have been most extensively tested and have had mixed results. Preliminary experiments with in situ deposition of thin carbon films inside tokamaks have also been performed, and the results look promising. This review paper summarizes the operational history of coatings in present generation fusion devices and discusses some of the coating successes and failures that have been observed. Some areas of coating research that are potentially interesting for future fusion devices are also briefly discussed.