Computer Simulations and Experimental Investigation of the Heterodyne Employing Printed Circuit Board With an Increased Resistance to Electrostatic Discharges

We have performed computer simulations and experimental studies of characteristics of a standard analog device-the heterodyne employing a printed circuit board (PCB) made from a composite dielectric with a controlled dark conductivity. Simulation results show that an increased conductivity of the PCB smaller than 2 × 10
^-7
Ω
^-1
· m
^-1
has almost no effect on the operating characteristics of a heterodyne operating in the frequency range of 9-37 MHz, which are in a good agreement with the experimental data. Such PCBs are expected to exclude electrostatic discharges in spacecraft electronic devices otherwise occurring in them due to their internal charging by the ambient space plasma.