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Utah State University

2003

All Physics Faculty Publications

Conductivity

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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Charge Storage, Conductivity And Charge Profiles Of Insulators As Related To Spacecraft Charging, John R. Dennison, A. R. Frederickson, Prasanna Swaminathan Jan 2003

Charge Storage, Conductivity And Charge Profiles Of Insulators As Related To Spacecraft Charging, John R. Dennison, A. R. Frederickson, Prasanna Swaminathan

All Physics Faculty Publications

Dissipation of charges built up near the surface of insulators due to space environment interaction is central to understanding spacecraft charging. Conductivity of insulating materials is key to determine how accumulated charge will distribute across the spacecraft and how rapidly charge imbalance will dissipate. To understand these processes requires knowledge of how charge is deposited within the insulator, the mechanisms for charge trapping and charge transport within the insulator, and how the profile of trapped charge affects the transport and emission of charges from insulators. One must consider generation of mobile electrons and holes, their trapping, thermal detrapping, mobility and …


Comparison Of Classical And Charge Storage Methods For Determining Conductivity Of Thin Film Insulators, Prasanna Swaminathan, A. R. Frederickson, John R. Dennison, Alec Sim, J. Brunson, Eric Crapo Jan 2003

Comparison Of Classical And Charge Storage Methods For Determining Conductivity Of Thin Film Insulators, Prasanna Swaminathan, A. R. Frederickson, John R. Dennison, Alec Sim, J. Brunson, Eric Crapo

All Physics Faculty Publications

Conductivity of insulating materials is a key parameter to determine how accumulated charge will distribute across the spacecraft and how rapidly charge imbalance will dissipate. Classical ASTM and IEC methods to measure thin film insulator conductivity apply a constant voltage to two electrodes around the sample and measure the resulting current for tens of minutes. However, conductivity is more appropriately measured for spacecraft charging applications as the "decay" of charge deposited on the surface of an insulator. Charge decay methods expose one side of the insulator in vacuum to sequences of charged particles, light, and plasma, with a metal electrode …