Abstract:
The simulation facility described in this paper is the first of its kind under development in China for investigation of deep dielectric charging on satellites. A Sr90/Y90 beta emitting source and a 5~100 keV electron gun are integrated in a single vacuum chamber for simulating deep dielectric charging/discharging and for measuring the conductivity of dielectric materials, respectively. Irradiation tests on dielectric materials were conducted using the beta source and the electron gun, separately, in which some discharging waveforms were recorded as a result of a few kVs of surface charging on the sample. This facility is designed to provide a theoretical and technical support for future design against deep dielectric charging on China’s subsequent middle-and-high altitude Earth satellites.