Quartz-Indium Tin Oxide-Magnesium Flouride Sandwich in a Low Density Plasma

Indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings of solar cell coverglasses have been used for a long time to prevent electrostatic discharges on the array surface of a spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. An antireflection layer of magnesium fluoride is also a common feature of solar cell design that allows increasing array efficiency by a few percent. Currently, some spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit have solar arrays with ITO-MgF₂ coatings, and their power systems have experienced significant degradations. Analysis of telemetric data from these satellites shows strong correlations between the events of the sudden power losses and station keeping thruster firing time intervals. The main features of this solar array behavior in an arc jet plume plasma have been reproduced in an experiment in a plasma chamber