Electron-beam charging of dielectrics preirradiated with moderate-energy ions and electrons

The effects of charging of dielectric targets irradiated with moderate-energy electrons in a scanning electron microscope are examined. Considerable differences in the kinetics of charging of the reference samples and the samples preirradiated with ions and electrons are reported. These differences are attributed to the processes of radiation-induced defect formation in Al2O3 (sapphire) and SiO2 that are, however, dissimilar in nature. The contributions of surface structure modification and changes in the electrophysical parameters of the surface (specifically, the charge spreading effect) are revealed. Critical doses of irradiation with Ar+ ions and electrons inducing active defect formation in dielectric targets and critical values of internal charge fields producing a significant contribution to the temporal parameters of Al2O3 and SiO2 charging are determined.