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Kim, Wousik

Publications and source records attributed to Kim, Wousik.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2022

Space Induced Discharge Model to Be Used on Interface Circuit Vulnerability Assessment

Charging can occur in space due to plasma and high energy particles. Charging is especially severe in certain earth orbits such as geostationary orbit, medium earth orbit and highly inclined orbit. A spacecraft that travels to other planets such as Jupiter also encounters high level of charging due to Jupiter’s radiation belt. The major concern for spacecraft operation due to charging is the survival of sensitive electrical circuits. Dielectrics and floating metal can charge up and discharge onto interface circuits. The electrical circuits need to be evaluated for survival from the electrostatic-discharge (ESD) threat. Both ESD induced upset and damage need to be assessed. The interface circuits are often located inside a shielded unit in the spacecraft structure or a shielded vault with sufficient radiation shielding to avoid surface and internal charging. The materials external to the highly shielded area can charge up and discharge onto wires that can directly dissipate the ESD onto the interface circuits. Figure 1 shows a possible discharge mechanism onto the interfacing circuits. If the wire has an external shield or a coaxial line, some or most of the discharge can flow on the shield to chassis ground. There is always coupling from external discharge. If the wire has no shield, the discharge flows onto the interface circuit. Fig. 1 Possible discharge paths onto the interface circuits. The purpose of this article is to address how to model the ESD threat to be used as the discharge source onto the interface circuit based on the electron beam test data. Different models are needed for different impedances associated with the interface circuits. Once those models are derived, one needs to analyze the interface circuit with the corresponding model using an electrical simulation tool. Then, the circuit’s front-end components can be assessed for damage and upset. Upset is highly dependent on the circuit operation and system requirements, and thus it is not addressed any further. Damage of electrical parts is often rated under Human-Body-Model (HBM) ESD. One can utilize this industry-wide available information to assess the damage vulnerability due to space discharges. However, the HBM waveform does not always match the discharge waveform. To estimate the damage vulnerability of the circuit and set margin, one needs to compare the equivalent energy delivered to the victim between a HBM discharge and the results from an ESD source model based on actual discharges. This paper presents such a comparison for a few select cases.

Xie, Julie↗
NASA NTRS2021

A Heuristic Method for Determining the Necessary Time Duration of Electron Beam Tests ESD of Spacecraft Dielectrics

Electrostatic discharge or ESD can pose a significant risk to spacecraft in many space environments. Laboratory electron beam facilities can be used to test the performance of candidate spacecraft dielectrics. However, limited resources necessitate accelerated testing. The aim of this work is the development of a criterion for determining when an ESD test has run for sufficient time to capture representative ESD behavior. Such a criterion has the potential of saving hours of personnel and facility time per test. A comparison of the distributions of ESD event magnitudes from consecutive segments of an ESD test can be used to determine when the test has reached a quasi-steady state. Once this quasi-steady state has been observed the test may be truncated without a significant reduction in test fidelity.

Chinn, James↗
NASA NTRS2020

Comparison of Extreme Value Distributions for Electrostatic Discharge Magnitudes in Spacecraft Charging Tests

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) induced by the accumulation of charge in the space environment is known to cause spacecraft anomalies and failures. While it is critical to estimate the worst-case expected ESD, sensitive radar instruments can be impacted by high rates of occurrence of very small ESD. To estimate the correct extreme behavior, it is important to select the correct extreme value distribution for extrapolation of test results limited in time and sensitivity. Quantile-quantile (Q-Q) analysis is used to compare electron beam-induced ESD test data to several statistical distributions used in the published literature. The best-fit distribution is shown to vary from between tests on different materials; however, it is clear that power law distributions are not good approximations for low amplitude events. Q-Q analysis is a convenient graphical method for evaluating multiple theoretical extreme-value distributions simultaneously.

Kim, Wousik↗
NASA NTRS2020

High-Resistivity Measurement System for Spacecraft Dielectrics

- Volume resistivity is a key material property needed for assessing the risk of electrostatic discharge (ESD) due to spacecraft charging. We have developed a volume resistivity test system capable of measuring volume resistivity ≥1019 Ω·cm in vacuum and at cryogenic temperatures. Key components of this new setup include a custom test fixture and very low noise battery voltage supply.

Chave, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electrostatic Discharges from Conductive Thermal Coatings

Selecting the correct thermal control coating for a spacecraft can be a significant challenge. From the start, the process includes balancing conflicting needs. Thermal control paints must have the ability to either absorb or emit heat as desired and this property cannot change beyond a set point over the life of the mission. When the mission involves operating in a heavy charging environment, the control coating must be static dissipative enough to bleed away absorbed energetic electrons to minimize induced electric fields and the risk of electrostatic discharges. Finding the right balance of thermal performance and electrical performance can be difficult for spacecraft designers. In an effort to aid in spacecraft design, a number of white and black thermal control coatings were tested at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory using a two-part test campaign. These tests involved an initial screening test to determine the bulk resistivity of the material using a traditional parallel plate test, but placed in a vacuum chamber immersed in a bath of liquid nitrogen to obtain data over a range of temperatures. The most promising materials were then exposed to a stream of energetic electrons and monitored for the production of electrostatic discharges. Results from these tests indicated that only a few of the common thermal control coatings have a resistivity below 109 ohm-cm as suggested in NASA-HDBK-4002A. Of those that meet this criterion, most will still produce electrostatic discharges when exposed to electrons with energies from 20keV to 60keV while held at cryogenic temperatures. Additional testing is required to characterize additional coatings to create a database that designers may use when selecting an appropriate coating for their application.

Chinn, James↗