  Tungsten carbide (WC) stands out as a crucial material for exploration in
extreme environments due to its resistance to radiation and impressive
mechanical strength. Widely utilized in cutting tools, high-wear components,
and as a potential contender for plasma-facing material in nuclear reactors,
WC's erosion behavior under surrogate irradiations is a subject of
investigation. In the present work, WC films were synthesized at two different
substrate temperatures of 400 K and 600 K using RF sputtering and were then
irradiated with 100 keV Kr1+ ions at a fluence of 1x1017 ions/cm2. The
crystalline phases of as deposited WC films were confirmed by glancing
incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) measurements. Rutherford Backscattering
Spectrometry (RBS) was employed to determine the thicknesses of pristine
samples and the sputtering rate by measuring the difference in the areal
densities of the pristine and irradiated films. The erosion rate of both types
of films was found to be ~ 1.6 atoms per incident Kr+ ion. These findings
contribute to a foundational comprehension of the radiation tolerance behavior
of WC thin films, crucial for their performance in the demanding conditions of
extreme radiation.
