Charging of Ion-Implanted Dielectrics by Electron Irradiation

Abstract

The charging kinetics of Al₂O₃ (sapphire) and SiO₂ (α-quartz) dielectrics irradiated by inert gas ions (Ar⁺), metal ions (Ga⁺), and protons (H⁺) has been studied. It has been found that charging kinetics depends considerably on the type of irradiating ion. Also, it has been established that preirradiation of a dielectric target by an ionizing corpuscular radiation (protons, ions) substantially changes the charge characteristics of the dielectric surface. These differences depend on irradiating ion energy, which governs the depth of an accumulated negative charge layer versus the depth of ion preimplantation.