Abstract
To ensure the cleanliness of sensitive spacecraft systems, the contamination environment in aerospace cleanrooms and highbays is closely monitored. In this paper, we report the testing and evaluation of a commercially available molecular contamination monitor consisting of a 200-MHz surface acoustic wave microbalance (SAWM). SAWMs were placed into four different aerospace facilities with markedly different environments. SAWMs measured distinctly different molecular film accretion rates consistent with the levels of contamination control and activity in each facility. SAWM results were compared with nonvolatile residue (NVR) accretion rates measured by witness plates. Witness plate data yielded a higher NVR accretion rate than microbalance data. We present evidence that this difference is due to the detection limit of the witness plate analysis technique and not to a fundamental difference in surface deposition processes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.