Adding Radiation-Induced Conductivity Test Capability to the JPL Dynamitron

Abstract

The Europa Clipper space environments test campaign has made extensive use of the Dynamitron electron accelerator located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. One of the most common uses of this facility has been gathering data on the internal electrostatic discharge (IESD) properties of the various elements of the spacecraft. These testing needs often required some reconfiguration of the accelerator system. One of the most recent upgrades was adding the ability to measure both dark conductivity and radiation-induced conductivity (RIC) for spacecraft materials. Adding this new one-of-a-kind capability required incorporating a low-energy electron flood gun to the existing higher energy electron beam from the Dynamitron accelerator. The upgraded system was also designed to obtain data on multiple samples per test run allowing for the acquisition of a large quantity of data in a relatively short time period. Dark and radiation-induced conductivities measured using the new system are provided demonstrating examples of results that can be obtained.