Reliability of Liquid Crystals in Space Photonics
Reliability of Liquid Crystals in Space Photonics
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DOI：
10.1109/jphot.2015.2451626
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发表时间：
2015-08-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Geday, Morten A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Oton, Eva;Perez-Fernandez, Javier;Geday, Morten A.
无源液晶（LC）器件正成为空间应用中光子器件制造的一种有趣的替代方案。这些设备在这种环境中具有许多优点，缺乏可移动部件，并且暴露的电子设备是最突出的。尽管如此，LC材料本身必须在太空任务的恶劣条件下证明其耐久性，包括发射和着陆。在本文中，我们提出了空间应用的LC器件的环境测试。许多基于LC的光束转向装置被制造、表征并在由欧洲航天局（ESA）定义的一系列破坏性和非破坏性测试中进行测试。目的是评估模拟空间环境中LC响应的行为和可能的退化。设备的制造和测试是在欧空局资助的项目中完成的，该项目的目的是自适应光学元件的设计、制造和表征，以及在空间模拟条件下对设备进行鉴定测试。
Passive liquid crystal (LC) devices are becoming an interesting alternative for the manufacturing of photonic devices in spatial applications. These devices feature a number of advantages in this environment, the lack of movable parts, and of exposed electronics being among the most outstanding ones. Nevertheless, the LC material itself must demonstrate its endurance under the harsh conditions of space missions, including launch and, perhaps, landing. In this paper, we present the environmental testing of an LC device for space applications. A number of LC based beam steering devices were manufactured, characterized, and tested in a series of destructive and nondestructive tests defined by the European Space Agency (ESA). The purpose was to evaluate the behavior and possible degradation of the LC response in simulated space environments. Device fabrication and testing was done within an ESA-funded project, whose purpose was the design, manufacturing, and characterization of adaptive optical elements, as well as the execution of qualification tests on the devices in space-simulated conditions.