Mixed germanium-silicon thermal control blanket

摘要

A passive thermal control blanket (28) and a method for its manufacture, the blanket (28) including a plastic substrate (22) on which is deposited a film (24) that is a homogeneous mixture of silicon and germanium, thereby combining the excellent reflective and electrostatic discharge properties of germanium with the superior adhesion and corrosion resistance properties of silicon. The uniform mixture is preferably obtained by sputtering the two materials simultaneously onto the substrate (22), using either separate targets, a single mosaic target (36), or a single composite target.