Document Type
Presentation
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Proceedings of the Applied Space Environments Conference 2019
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Publication Date
5-14-2019
First Page
1
Last Page
3
Abstract
As energetic electrons interact with the surface of materials, they impart energy throughout the material. If the energy exchange is near the surface, secondary electrons within the material can be excited and emitted. It is also possible for the incident primary electron to undergo a quasi-elastic collision within the material, wherein the electron is backscattered and emitted from the surface. As the backscattered electron is leaving the material, it can continue to impart energy to the material, potentially exciting more secondary electrons as it approaches the surface on the way back out.
This process of imparting energy and charge to a material plays a dominate role in spacecraft charging, especially surface charging [Dennison, 2007]. Any process, whether deliberate or by nature, that acts to modify the surface of the material, can have pronounced effects on this process [Lundgreen, 2018; Wilson, 2013]. To understand how thin surface layers, such as contamination, affect these processes, a study of multilayer materials undergoing electron bombardment was undertaken.
Recommended Citation
Greg Wilson, Matthew Robertson, Jordan Lee, and JR Dennison, “Electron Yield Measurements of Multilayer Conductive Materials,” Proceedings of the Applied Space Environments Conference 2019,, (Los Angeles, CA, May 12-17, 2019).