Hypervelocity microparticle impact effects on optical components and materials investigated by an electrostatic accelerator

The various effects of hypervelocity impacts from micron sized Al particles on surface-coating silica glass, optical lens, reflector, and solar cell cover glass were investigated. Accumulated impacts from Al micro- particles were made by use of an electrostatic accelerator. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) examinations showed that the surface of each impacted optical component or material sample was generally characterized as discontinuous damage defects, such as impacted crater, crack or puncture of surface layer, local melting and attaching of micro-particles. And the spectrophotometer measurements revealed that the accumulation impacts from microparticles would result in optical property degradation of the impacted glass, optical lens or reflector. Creation of plasma and light flash during impact of hypervelocity Al microparticle on solar cell cover glass, optical lens was also detected by the in-situ techniques.