Stability of Al and Ag metallic thin film mirrors in a space environment under the implantation of low energy helium ions

The stability of aluminum (Al) and silver (Ag) metallic thin films (MTFs) under helium ion bombardment has been investigated in the laboratory to replicate the effect of alpha particle bombardment on spacecrafts and satellites in a space environment. The implanted helium ions have varying fluence and energies ranging from 0.5 - 3 keV. The helium ion fluence in the present study has been chosen according to 4 and 6 years journey of a solar orbiter. The reflectivity of Al and Ag MTFs is investigated over a wide range of electromagnetic radiation covering ultraviolet to near infrared (200 - 2500 nm), prior and post helium ion implantation. It is observed that the degradation in the reflectivity of the above-mentioned MTFs is reasonably low for helium ion implantation and no significant impact is observed on reflectivity of both (Al and Ag) MTFs in the investigation. This opens a channel of utilization of these MTFs to provide better protection for the optical components used in spacecrafts. Surface characterization such as surface roughness is carried out to investigate the surface morphology of MTFs prior and post implantation using atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is observed that the effect of implantation on surface morphology is in accordance with the experimental results of reflectivity. SRIM/TRIM simulations help to obtain the distribution profile and penetration depth of helium ions inside the Al and Ag MTFs.

Automated summary

The stability and surface characteristics of aluminum and silver metallic thin films under helium ion bombardment were investigated to replicate the effect of alpha particle bombardment on spacecrafts and satellites in a space environment. The study found that helium ion implantation had a reasonably low degradation effect on the reflectivity of the films, suggesting their potential use for protecting optical components in spacecrafts.