High Potentials in Electron-Irradiated Dielectrics

Bombardment of high-resistivity solid dielectrics with energetic electrons leads to electron trapping and space-charge buildup. The space-charge field in the dielectric can become high enough to reduce significantly the range of the incident electrons. A simple mathematical model gives a semiquantitative picture of the effect. It confirms previous suggestions that the potential in the dielectric might exceed the accelerating potential of the electrons.