A new method for charge trapping measurement during electron beam irradiation: application to glass containing alkali ions and single-crystalline quartz

The aim of this work is to study the electron irradiation behaviour of an insulating material surface using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The charging phenomena caused in two kinds of insulating materials (quartz and glass) by continuous electron irradiation have been observed. The discharging phenomena following switching off of irradiation have also been studied. The trapped charge density is determined by using the so-called electrostatic influence method based on the measurement, during and after the irradiation, of the influence and leakage currents using an arrangement adapted to the SEM. The experimental results reveal that the behaviour under irradiation of glass is entirely different from that of quartz. The trapped charges are found to be different, and the dependence of charging on the primary beam energy is discussed. The charging and discharging time constants have been determined accurately, and their evolution versus the mean electron penetration depth is qualitatively explained. Moreover, the role of secondary electron emission in the regulation mechanism of charging is underlined.