Abstract: The Secondary Electron Emission (SEE) from materials used in highpower RF devices in space is the main trigger and sustaining mechanism of the resonant avalanche electron discharge known as the multipactor effect. Multipactor effect is one of the key issues to limit the application of highpower microwave components in space. Starting from the mechanism of multipactor, the basic physical mechanism of two types of multipactors (singlesurface and twosurface)is briefly introduced, and then the current mainstream of multipactor suppression methods are summarized and the limitations of their respective applications in space highpower microwave components are given. Finally, focusing on the special problem of multipactor suppression in aerospace highpower microwave components, the research work on surface treatment to inhibit multipactor in the past five years is reviewed and the tendencies of multipactor suppression technology are predicted.

Key words: secondary electron emission, multipactor suppression, surface treatment, trap structure, surface coatings, multipactor