Development of a Reusable Atomic Oxygen Sensor Using Zinc Oxide Thick Films

This paper describes the fabrication and testing of thick film zinc oxide sensors that could be used to monitor the atomic oxygen (AO) fluence experienced by spacecraft in low Earth orbit, or that produced in ground-based AO sources. Impedance spectroscopy measurements are carried out on the sensors to determine the conduction mechanisms within the thick films when exposed to AO. The results indicate that the sensors´ total resistance increases linearly with time when they are exposed to a constant flux of AO, and that the sensors can be regenerated by heating.