Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T05:10:48.183Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Modification of Optical Surfaces Employing CVD Boron Carbide Coatings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Richard A. Lowden
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P. O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6063
Laura Riester
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P. O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6063
M. Alfred Akerman
Affiliation:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P. O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6063
Get access

Abstract

Non-reflective or high emissivity optical surfaces require materials with given roughness or surface characteristics wherein interaction with incident radiation results in the absorption and dissipation of a specific spectrum of radiation. Coatings have been used to alter optical properties, however, extreme service environments, such as experienced by satellite systems and other spacecraft, necessitate the use of materials with unique combinations of physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Thus, ceramics such as boron carbide are leading candidates for these applications. Boron carbide was examined as a coating for optical baffle surfaces. Boron carbide coatings were deposited on graphite substrates from BCl3, CH4, and H2 gases employing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. Parameters including temperature, reactant gas compositions and flows, and pressure were explored. The structures of the coatings were characterized using electron microscopy and compositions were determined using x-ray diffraction. The optical properties of the boron carbide coatings were measured, and relationships between processing conditions, deposit morphology, and optical properties were determined.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Seals, R. D., Egert, C. M., and Allred, D. D., “Advanced Infrared Optically Black Baffle Materials,” SPIE Vol.1330, Optical Surfaces Resistant to Severe Environments, 164177 (1990).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Smith, W. J., Modern Optical Engineering, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, 139142 (1990).Google Scholar
3. Kuhl, M., Gindele, K., and Mast, M., “Determination of the Characterizing Parameters of Rough Surfaces for Solar Energy Conversion,” SPIE Vol.653, Optical materials Technology for Energy Efficiency and Solar Energy Conversion, 228235 (1986).Google Scholar
4. Pompea, S. M., Shepard, D. F., and Anderson, S., “BRDF Measurements at 6328 Angstroms and 10.6 Micrometers of Optical Black Surfaces for Space Telescopes,” SPIE Vol.967, Stray Light and Contamination in Space, 236247 (1988).Google Scholar
5. Besmann, T. M. and Abdel-Latif, A. Ismail, “Modification of Optical Properties with Ceramic Coatings,” Thin Solid Films 202, 5159 (1991).Google Scholar
6. Samsonov, G. V. and Vinitski, I. M, Handbook of Refractory Compounds, IFI-Plenum, New York, 117185 and 273–277, (1980)Google Scholar
7. Vandenbulcke, L. G., “Theoretical and Experimental Studiers on the Chemical Vapor Deposition of Boron carbide,” Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res. Dev. 24, 568575 (1985).Google Scholar
8. Stinton, D. P., Besmann, T. M., and Lowden, R. A., “Advanced Ceramics by Chemical Vapor Deposition Techniques,” Ceramic Bulletin 67 [2], 350355 (1988).Google Scholar
9. Jansson, U., Carlsson, J.-O., Stridh, B., Soderberg, S., and Olsson, M., “Chemical Vapor Deposition of Boron Carbides I: Phase and Chemical Composition,” Thin Solid Films 124, 101107 (1985).Google Scholar
10. Kevill, D. N. and Rissmann, T. J., “Preparation of Boron-Carbon Compounds, Including Crystalline B2C Material, By Chemical Vapor Deposition,” J. Less-Common Metals 117, 421425 (1986).Google Scholar
11. Besmann, T. M, “Chemical Vapor Deposition in the Boron-Carbon-Nitrogen System,” J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 73 [8], 24982501 (1990).Google Scholar