Correction: Transparent Piezoelectric LiNbO3-based Surface Acoustic Wave for Dust Mitigation in Space Environment

Reliable surface cleaning solutions are needed to continue to improve space related missions and experiments. Maintaining power output of solar panels, the main power generation technology used in space applications, is essential in the longevity and feasibility of missions. This research proposes using surface acoustic wave devices (SAWs) to directly propel and displace surface debris that may find themselves on the surface of equipment, suits, and optical instruments. To fully cover the Lunar and Mars environment temperature variation operation conditions, optically transparent and polished Lithium Niobate thin films with Indium Tin Oxide interdigital transducers (IDTs) are placed on top of these solar panels to ensure continued efficiency of power output. The customizable essence of these SAW devices proves to be a powerful end-user device that can effectively be implemented in a passive manner with little to no human intervention if properly manufactured. Lithium Niobate and ITO are great choices due to their mechanical properties and optical transparency. A COMSOL-based three dimensional (3D) finite element modeling (FEM) was used instead of two-dimensional (2D) to better understand the SAW behavior of the Lithium Niobate based transparency dust cleaning system. The FEM modeled results indicated that the natural frequency of the SAW is strongly depending on the thickness of Lithium Niobate layer and less sensitive with the figure space of the interdigital electrode (IDE) structure. In addition, the displacement amplitude of the SAW is also strongly depending on the thickness of the Lithium Niobate layers.