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Transparent, Weakly Conductive Films for Space ApplicationsElectrically insulating spacecraft surfaces are vulnerable to nonuniform charge buildup due to particles emitted by the sun. On Mars, insulating surfaces of exploration vehicles and structures will be affected by dust coatings possibly held in place by triboelectric surface charge. Application of a conductive film may be a solution to the charging problem, but the coating must be highly transparent if used on solar panels, lenses, etc. Sheet resistivity requirements depend on the application and are in the range 10(exp 2) - 10(exp 8) ohms/square. Co-deposited indium tin oxide (ITO) and MgF2 is promising, with high transparency, tailorable electrical properties, and durability to atomic oxygen. Due to ITO's relatively narrow bandgap (approximately 3.5 eV), the film might absorb enough ultraviolet to protect polymeric substrates. Recent work on dual-magnetron-sputtered ITO-MgF2 showed that a variety of polymeric substrates can be coated at room temperature. However, the sheet resistivity is very sensitive to composition, suggestive of a percolation transition. This could be a serious problem for large-scale coating production. We will report on attempts to control film composition by plasma emission monitoring of the ITO and MgF2 guns.
Document ID
20070024817
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Griffin, John
(Cleveland State Univ. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Morgan, Ashraf
(Cleveland State Univ. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Hambourger, Paul D.
(Cleveland State Univ. Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
September 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Meeting Information
Meeting: Ohio Section Fall Meeting of the American Physical Society
Location: Rochester, MI
Country: United States
Start Date: October 15, 2004
End Date: October 16, 2004
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC3-1065
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC3-1033
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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