Silver Silver coatings are used whenever the lowest possible absorptance levels are needed. Silver's primary drawbacks are high cost in comparison to aluminum and its need for protection. For first surface mirrors, the silver is typically protected by a thin layer of silicon oxide. Silver coatings are produced in batch chambers producing about 40 square feet of finished product at a time. Gold Gold's comparatively inert nature provides the most durable thin film coating.
Gold also has the lowest infrared emittance.
Gold coatings can be applied on a roll to roll basis or in batch chambers producing approximately 40 square feet of finished product per run. Indium Tin Oxide Protection of spacecraft from electrostatic discharge build-up is becoming more important as payloads become more complex and electronics become more sophisticated. Indium tin oxide coatings for electrostatic discharge control can be applied on a roll to roll basis or in a batch chambers producing approximately 40 square feed of finished product per run. Sheldahl also manufactures a line of low resistivity ITO coatings in our Accentia product line. Germanium Germanium coatings provide an alternate approach to controlling surface electrostatic charge build-up on spacecraft.