Particle generation by silicone potting compound of returned Mir solar cells

Gale A. Harvey; William H. Kinard; James T. Visentine

doi:10.1117/12.400836

20 September 2000 Particle generation by silicone potting compound of returned Mir solar cells

Gale A. Harvey, William H. Kinard, James T. Visentine

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4096, Optical Systems Contamination and Degradation II: Effects, Measurements, and Control; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.400836
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2000, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

A solar panel with more than ten years space exposure was returned to Earth in January 1998. Methy-phenyl silicone was used for both the adhesive between the coverglasses and silicon wafer, and for the potting compound between individual solar cells. Glass fiber scrim was used for structural integrity of the panel. Atomic oxygen in low-Earth-orbit interacted with the exposed silicone and converted the outermost layer (several microns thick) to oxidized silicon, i.e. SiO_x, where x~2. This brittle SiO_x served to protect underlying silicone from oxidation, unless the film was removed by some means. There is much evidence of microeruptions within the potting compound and spewing of silicone and SiO_x film debris across the solar cell coverglasses. Ten of 409 solar cells of a returned panel have been scanned with a 50x brightfield microscope. This paper presents measurements of millimeter size SiO_x particles and, glass fibers on the returned solar cell coverglasses. Erosion of the potting compound is also discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Gale A. Harvey, William H. Kinard, and James T. Visentine "Particle generation by silicone potting compound of returned Mir solar cells", Proc. SPIE 4096, Optical Systems Contamination and Degradation II: Effects, Measurements, and Control, (20 September 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.400836

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