Charge storage in SiO2 under low-energy electron bombardment

Low-energy (≃ 10 eV) electron bombardment on an SiO2 layer gives rise to strong trapping at the surface and to a positive space-charge build-up near the Si–SiO2 interface. The density, the capture cross section, and the energy level of the traps have been evaluated using, respectively, the constant current charging process and the quantum yield of vacuum photoemission versus wavelength.