Nanofabrication Techniques Used for Suppressing Multipactor in Space Applications

Abstract

A significant trouble in high power microwave (HPM) systems is multipactor discharge – an avalanche of electrons resulting from the secondary electron emission (SEE). It would cause serious problems and limits the attainable power. Nano fabrication techniques, such as sputtering, photolithography, etching and Graphene, are adopted to reduce the secondary electron yield (SEY) of a material to improve multipactor discharge threshold. It is clearly demonstrated that these fabrications can suppress the SEY efficiently. The influence of surface characteristic on SEY is discussed to find that increase porosity and aspect ratio will reduce SEY. These results provided a criterion to determine nanofabrication techniques for multipactor suppression.