CONTAMINATION STUDY OF SPACE SENSITIVE SURFACES BY PACKAGING MATERIALS

Authors:

Delphine Faye , David Cheung

Keywords:

Cleanliness, packaging materials, particles, molecular contamination, conditioning, exposure

Abstract:

The particulate and molecular cleanliness of sensitive components is a priority in the space industry, and in many others as well. In order to keep a surface state in clean conditions during storage and shipment, stringent requirements are necessary for the packaging: protect the sensitive device from the external environment, and not cross contaminate the component as well. This study focuses on the optimisation of conditioning methods, in order to propose some recommendations for the choice of packaging materials, according to the device sensitivity towards particulate and/or molecular contaminations. A methodology has been set up, including the exposure modes of substrate samples in various flexible and rigid packaging materials, and the development of the associated measurement protocols. A benchmark of the packaging materials tested is available, in terms of particulate and molecular contaminations: it will help the user to select the most appropriate materials for his dedicated applications.

Article:

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