Effect of temperature and electron energy on volume resistivity of a polyimide film in a space environment

In this study, we develop a system for measuring the volume resistivity of a polyimide film in a simulated space environment and investigate the effect of sample temperature and incident electron beam energy on the volume resistivity of the film. The temperatures in the experiment range from 233 K to 353 K and are controlled by a temperature control system that uses Peltier devices. The incident electron energy is varied from 10 keV to 40 keV. The experimental results indicate that volume resistivity of the polyimide film decreases as its temperature increases in line with the Boltzmann model. The higher energy electrons penetrate deep into the experimental sample of spacecraft surface material and enhance conductivity, which results in a decrease in volume resistivity owing to radiation-induced conductivity (RIC).