Germanium Black Kapton® Film
Since 1985 Dunmore Aerospace has been providing material solutions for the space industry. Our Germanium black Dupont™ Kapton® film is a thermal management material constructed of a germanium coating on one side of carbon-filled polyimide film. It is used as the space-side layer in MLI blankets and single layer insulation (SLI) for satellite antennas. Ge coated black Kapton® film is used for low to high temperature applications that require relatively low solar absorptivity to IR emissivity values, RF transparency, and when you need to bleed away surface charge build up.
Reasons to Choose Germanium Black Kapton® Film
Germanium coated black Kapton® film provides excellent optical and thermal resistance, RF transparency, and resistance to atomic oxygen. The electrically conductive black Kapton® film bleeds away surface static charge buildup that could potentially damage ESD-sensitive instruments and electronics. For this reason, germanium black Kapton® film is a preferred space-side blanket layer in charging environments, such as geosynchronous orbits. Since Ge coated black Kapton film is RF transparent, it is an excellent thermal insulation material for antennas. This product has relatively low shelf life and is not corrosion resistant. It should not be used in environments where oxidization or water intrusion resistance are design considerations.
Germanium coated black polyimide is a great choice for:
- Insulation of ESD-sensitive components and antennas
- RF transparency
- Environments where oxidization or water intrusion are not a concern
Material Properties
- Typical outside surface α / ϵ values: 0.93
- Operating Temperature: -200°C to 200°C
- Thickness range: 25 - 40 μm
- RF transparency range: 1150 - 1700 MHz
Germanium Black Kapton® Film Applications
Satellite MLI
Antenna SLI
DuPont™ and Kapton® are registered trademarks of Dupont or its affiliates.