Battery-powered thin film deposition process for coating telescope mirrors in space

David A. Sheikh

doi:10.1117/12.2234335

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29 July 2016 Battery-powered thin film deposition process for coating telescope mirrors in space

David A. Sheikh

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Proceedings Volume 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 99046J (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234335
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

Aluminum films manufactured in the vacuum of space may increase the broadband reflectance response of a space telescope operating in the EUV (50-nm to 115-nm) by eliminating absorbing metal-fluorides and metal-oxides, which significantly reduce aluminum’s reflectance below 115-nm. Recent developments in battery technology allow small lithium batteries to rapidly discharge large amounts of energy. It is therefore conceivable to power an array of resistive evaporation filaments in a space environment, using a reasonable mass of batteries and other hardware. This paper presents modeling results for coating thickness as a function of position, for aluminum films made with a hexagonal array of battery powered evaporation sources. The model is based on measured data from a single battery-powered evaporation source.

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David A. Sheikh "Battery-powered thin film deposition process for coating telescope mirrors in space", Proc. SPIE 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 99046J (29 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234335

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