A Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Atomic Oxygen Resistant (AOR) thin film coating has been developed by Sheldahl, Inc. for use on the Space Station Freedont Photo Voltaic Solar Array Panels. The AOR silicon oxide (SiOx) coating was developed in a irianufacturing system and lends itself to reasonably large production quantities. Test results of the SiOx coating on polyiinide versus uncoated polyiiaide are presented, along with a discussion of the nanufacturing process used. The substrate used for this program was Dupont type H Kapton! The major areas of testing were environnental survivability (atomic oxygen resistance, optical properties, and thermal shock) and physical/mechanical characterization (adhesion, blocking, flexibility, and abrasion resistance).

Laminating a protective layer onto a freshly deposited metal film on a web in a vacuum chamber is very useful in many applications where the deposited film must be protected from scratches or from reacting with the atmosphere when it is removed from the vacuum chamber. Some materials will oxidize in the atmosphere very quickly, causing undesirable changes in the film’s properties. When a laminated protective coverlay is used, the material can be protected until it is further processed or put into final use. A process combining the deposition and lamination in one pumpdown and pass through the machine involving the evaporation of highly reactive material, such as bismuth, onto a polycarbonate substrate in a roll-to-roll system is described. Immediately following the deposition, the coated substrate moves to a section of the vacuum chamber where a heat sealable coverlay film is bonded to the coated substrate and then rewound onto a take-up roll. A comparison of the film properties with and without the in situ lamination will be presented.