Filling of traps with electrons in insulators subjected to intense electron irradiation

The efficiency of nonequilibrium electron trapping by capture centers in alkali halide crystals, quartz, and polymethyl methacrylate exposed to an intense electron beam with a beam current density of about 20 A/cm² is studied. The trapped charge is estimated from the amount of irradiation-induced electrification of high-resistivity materials. It is shown that traps having captured thermalized electrons become depleted via impact ionization due to the primary electrons of the beam and secondary electrons.     

Deformation-induced excitation of the luminescence centres in coloured alkali halide crystals

The present paper reports the deformation-induced excitation of the luminescence centres in coloured alkali halide crystals. The peaks of the mechanoluminescence (ML) in γ-irradiated KCl, KBr, KI, NaCl and LiF crystals lie at 455, 463, 472, 450 and 485 nm, i.e. at 2.71, 2.67, 2.62, 2.75 and 2.56 eV, respectively. From the similarity between the ML spectra and the thermoluminescence (TL) and afterglow spectra, the ML of KCl, KBr, KI, NaCl and LiF crystals can be assigned to the deformation-induced excitation of the halide ions in V₂-centres or any other hole centres. For the deformation-induced excitation of the halide ions in V₂-centres, or in other centres, the following four models may be considered: (i) free electron generation model, (ii) electron–hole recombination model, (iii) dislocation exciton radiative decay model and (iv) dislocation exciton energy transfer model. The dislocation exciton energy transfer model is found to be suitable for the coloured alkali halide crystals. According to the dislocation exciton energy transfer model, during the deformation of solids the moving dislocations capture electrons from the F-centres and then they capture holes from the hole centres and consequently the formation of dislocation excitons takes place. Subsequently, the energy released during the decay of dislocation excitons excites the halide ions of the V₂-centres or any other hole centres and the light emission occurs during the de-excitation of the excited halide ions, which is the characteristic of halide ions. The mechanism of ML in irradiated alkali halide crystals is different from that of the TL in which the electrons released form F-centres due to the thermal vibrations of lattices reach the conduction band and the energy released during the electron–hole recombination excites the halide ions in V₂-centres or in any other hole centres. It is shown that the phenomenon of ML may give important information about the dislocation bands in coloured alkali halide crystals.     

Possibility of elastico-mechanoluminescence dosimetry using alkali halides and other crystals

The elastico-mechanoluminescence (EML) intensity of X or γ-irradiated alkali halide crystals can be used in radiation dosimetry. The EML intensity of X or γ-irradiated alkali halide crystals increases linearly with the strain of the crystals, and when the crosshead of the testing machine deforming an X or γ-irradiated crystal is stopped, then the EML intensity decreases with time. The semilog plot of the EML intensity versus (t − t_c) (where t_c is the time where the crosshead of the testing machine is stopped) indicates that, in the post-deformation region, the EML intensity initially decreases exponentially at a fast rate and later on it decreases exponentially at a slow rate. The EML intensity increases linearly with the density of the F-centres in the crystals. This fact indicates that elastico-ML can suitably be used for the radiation dosimetry. The EML spectra of X or γ-irradiated alkali halide crystals are similar to their thermoluminescence spectra. Based on the detrapping of electrons during the mechanical interaction between the dislocation segments and F-centres, an expression is derived, which indicates that the EML intensity should increase linearly with the density of F-centres in the crystals. The expression derived for the decay of EML indicates that the decay time for the fast decrease of EML should gives the pinning time of dislocation segments (lifetime of interacting F-centres), and the decay time for the slow decrease of EML intensity should gives the lifetime of electrons in the shallow traps. As the elastic deformation is non-destructive phenomenon and the EML intensity depends on the radiation dosage given to the alkali halide crystals, similar to the thermoluminescence and photo-stimulated luminescence, the EML of alkali halide crystals and other crystals may be used for the radiation dosimetry. In EML dosimetry, the same crystal can be used number of times because the elastic deformation does not cause permanent deformation in the crystals, and moreover, comparatively the devices needed for the EML measurements are of low cost and very simple. In recent years, a large number of elastico mechanoluminescent materials have been investigated, and the study of their suitability for the radiation dosimetry may be interesting.     

Electrical breakdown in solid dielectrics

The mechanism of electrical breakdown in solid dielectrics is analyzed using the results of our investigations performed in this direction over a period of several decades. It is shown that the electrical breakdown in solid dielectrics involves interrelated prebreakdown processes, such as high-voltage polarization, defect formation, electron impact excitation and electron impact ionization of luminescence centers and ions in the host crystal lattice, etc. The electrical breakdown is initiated by electric-field and thermal generation of defects in the crystal. In turn, the generation of defects leads to the formation of defect regions and channels that provide an assisted transfer of charge carriers. Electron currents flow (and electrons are accelerated by the electric field to energies sufficient to induce impact ionization) in these regions of the crystal with a lattice distorted by defects. In this respect, the known approaches to the elaboration of the breakdown theory for alkali halide and other dielectric crystals on the basis of analyzing the motion and acceleration of electrons in an ideal crystal structure have appeared to be incorrect.     

飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生快电子发射的实验和模拟研究

采用实验和数值模拟研究了飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生的快电子发射.实验中,在主脉冲前加上一个预脉冲产生预等离子体,然后主脉冲与预等离子体作用产生快电子.在激光反射方向附近,实验测量的快电子束发射与数值模拟的结果高度地一致;在靶背面,发射的快电子的数目小于数值模拟的结果,原因在于快电子在靶内输运受到电荷分离场和碰撞的影响;在数值模拟中未出现的,沿靶表面发射的快电子束,是由表面准静态电磁场的禁闭效应产生.     

飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生快电子发射的实验和模拟研究

采用实验和数值模拟研究了飞秒激光辐照铝靶产生的快电子发射。实验中,在主脉冲前加上一个预脉冲产生预等离子体,然后主脉冲与预等离子体作用产生快电子。在激光反射方向附近,实验测量的快电子束发射与数值模拟的结果高度地一致;在靶背面,发射的快电子的数目小于数值模拟的结果,原因在于快电子在靶内输运受到电荷分离场和碰撞的影响;在数值模拟中未出现的,沿靶表面发射的快电子束,是由表面准静态电磁场的禁闭效应产生。     

Dynamics of the mechanoluminescence induced by elastic deformation of persistent luminescent crystals

When a composite of suitable dimension formed by mixing the microcrystalline or nanocrystalline persistent luminescent materials in epoxy resin is deformed at a fixed pressing rate, then the elastico mechanoluminescence (EML) emission takes place after a threshold pressure, in which the EML intensity increases linearly with the applied pressure. When the applied pressure is kept constant or decreased linearly, then the EML intensity decreases with time, in which depending on the prevailing condition, the EML intensity initially decreases at a fast rate and then at a slow rate or sometimes it decreases exponentially having only one decay time. When a small ball is dropped from a low height onto the film of a persistent luminescent material, then initially the EML intensity increases with time, attains a peak value and then it decreases initially at a fast rate and later on at a slow rate. In this case, both the peak EML intensity and the total EML intensity increase linearly with the height through which the ball is dropped onto the film. Considering the piezoelectrically induced detrapping model based on successive detrapping of exponentially distributed traps a theoretical approach is made to the dynamics of light emission induced by elastic deformation of persistent luminescent crystals and thin films. It is shown that the EML intensity depends on several parameters such as pressure, pressing rate or strain rate, temperature, density of filled electron traps, piezoelectric constant near defect centers, etc. Both, in the case of slow deformation and impact stress, the fast decay time is related to the time-constant for the decrease of pressing rate of the samples and the slow decay time of EML is related to the lifetime of electrons in the shallow traps lying in the normal piezoelectric region of the crystals. Both, the EML produced during the release of pressure and the EML produced during the successive applications of pressure take place due to the detrapping of retrapped electrons in the vacant electron traps near activator ions, in which retrapping is caused by the thermally released electrons from the filled shallow traps lying in the normal piezoelectric region of the crystals, which get filled during the detrapping of stable traps at the time of increase of pressure. On the basis of the proposed model, the dependence of EML intensity on different parameters, dynamics of EML and physical concepts of the threshold pressure, characteristic piezoelectric field for detrapping, coefficient of deformation detrapping, nonlinear increase of the EML intensity of some crystals at high pressure and higher EML intensity in the crystals having higher coefficient of deformation detrapping can be satisfactorily understood. A good agreement is found between the theoretical and experimental results. It is shown that the present study may be helpful in tailoring the intense persistent elastico mechanoluminescent materials having long lasting time.     

Detection of defects binding free polarons in colored alkali halide crystals

The assumption has been made that defects binding free polarons in colored alkali halide crystals are F'-center, i.e., defects that slow down the motion of dislocations (photoplastic effect). This assumption has been confirmed by the experiments performed in this study. Thus, the anion vacancy in alkali halide crystals at a low temperature can capture three electrons: two electrons at a deep level (F'-center) and one electron in a bound polaron state. This electron is retained due to the energy gain in the interaction of a local deformation of the polaron and a local deformation surrounding the F'-center, despite the presence of the Coulomb repulsion.     

Correlation between deformation bleaching and mechanoluminescence in coloured alkali halide crystals

The present paper reports the correlation between deformation bleaching of coloration and mechanoluminescence (ML) in coloured alkali halide crystals. When the F-centre electrons captured by moving dislocations are picked up by holes, deep traps and other compatible traps, then deformation bleaching occurs. At the same time, radiative recombination of dislocation captured electrons with the holes gives rise to the mechanoluminescence. Expressions are derived for the strain dependence of the density of colour centres in deformed crystals and also for the number of colour centres bleached. So far as strain, temperature, density of colour centres, E _a and volume dependence are concerned, there exists a correlation between the deformation bleaching and ML in coloured alkali halide crystals. From the strain dependence of the density of colour centres in deformed crystals, the value of coefficient of deformation bleaching D is determined and it is found to be 1.93 and 2.00 for KCl and KBr crystals, respectively. The value of (D+χ) is determined from the strain dependence of the ML intensity and it is found to be 2.6 and 3.7 for KCl and KBr crystals, respectively. This gives the value of coefficient of deformation generated compatible traps χ to be 0.67 and 1.7 for KCl and KBr crystals, respectively.     

Photoelektronenemission aus Metalloberflächen in Alkalihalogenidkristallen

Photoemission of electrons from metals evaporated on cleavage surfaces of alkali halide crystals is observed and investigated at roomtemperature for severai spectral lines between 297 and 590 mμ. The observed photocurrents are found to depend mainly on crystal material in the short wave range; there is some influence of the type of metal in the long wave range.     

Electronic excitations owing to plastic deformation of ionic crystals

Electron emission and luminescence accompanying plastic deformation of alkali halide crystals are studied. It is shown that the intersection of dislocations can cause electronic excitation. Deformation electron emission and luminescence are produced by relaxation of these excitations. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 900–902 (May 1999)     

Dust in Plasma II. Effects of Secondary Electrons: Ionization and Surface Emission

In this second paper, the effect of secondary electrons on the charge and potential of a dust particle immersed in plasma has been studied. The processes of electron‐induced ionization and those of photo‐electron and secondary electron emission from the particle surface as a function of primary electron temperature have been taken into account. Starting from temperatures as low as 6 eV in an Ar plasma, ionization produces an extra ion flux to the dust surface comparable to that of the ion charge exchange effect. For what concerns the surface emission, results show that a transition from negative to positive dust charge/potential takes place, and that the transition regime is characterized by a non‐monotonic behavior of the electric potential around the particle. In the case of photoelectric emission, the dust charge and potential are monotonic decreasing functions of the electron temperature, while in the case of emission induced by primary electrons a minimum charge/potential is reached before they grow towards positive values. In no case multiple dust charge states have been observed due to the presence of the potential well attached to the particle surface. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Particle track phenomena and radiation power effects at the formation of radiation defects in ionic crystals

The mechanisms of the radiation defect formation in alkali halide crystals are studied in an extremely wide range of the absorbed radiation dose rate (10¹–10¹² Gy/s). It is found that the power dependence of color centers accumulation is described by a curve with a maximum at a dose rate of about 10¹⁰ Gy/s. The electron and proton track parameters for ionic crystals are calculated in the context of the theory of ionization losses of charged-particle energy. Proceeding from the concept of the charged-particle track overlap, the theoretical relations are obtained that explain the radiation power effect in all dielectric materials including alkali halide crystals. The suppression of color center accumulation in these crystals under high-power electron irradiation is due to a more regular topography of the radiation defect formation. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 10–21, February, 2007.     

Energy fluctuations and particle emission in a crack mouth

Numerical estimates of the energy balance in a region lying in front of a main crack are made using classical mechanics and statistical physics and are illustrated through the example of cleavage of alkali halide crystals. It is found theoretically that emission of nanoparticles can occur in the course of dynamic fracture.     

Critical (burst) electron emission from dielectrics, induced by injection of a dense electron beam

A dense pulsed electron beam and nanosecond pulse length has been used to inject negative electric charge into various dielectric materials (single crystals, glasses, composites, plastics) for initiation of electron field emission from the dielectric into a vacuum. It has been shown that upon reaching a critical electric field in the bulk and at the dielectric surface there is intense critical electron emission. The local current density from the emission centers reaches a record value (for dielectrics) of the order of 10⁶ A/cm². The emission occurs in the form of a single gigantic pulse. The measured amplitude of the emission current averaged over the emitting surface is the same order of magnitude as the injected electron current: 10–1000 A. the emission current pulse lages behind the current pulse of the primary electron beam injected into the sample. The delay time is in the range 1–20 nsec and decreases with increasing current density of the injected beam. Direct experimental evidence is found for intense generation of carriers (band or quasifree electrons) in the near-surface layer of the dielectric in a strong electric field due to the Frenkel-Poole effect and collisional ionization of traps, usually various donor levels. This process greatly strengthens the field emission from the dielectric. It has been shown experimentally that the emission is nonuniform and is accompanied by “point bursts” at the surface of the dielectric and ionized plasma spikes in the vacuum interval. These spikes are the main reason that the transition of the field emission into “bursts” is critical, similar to the current which has been previously observed in metals and semiconductors. However there are a number of substantial differences. For example the critical field emission current density needed for the transition into “bursts” is three orders of magnitude less than for metals. If we provide sufficient electron current at the surface or from the bulk of the dielectric to the emission centers, then the critical emission is always accompanied by a vacuum discharge between the surface of the dielectric and a metallic collector. A detailed computer model of the processes in the dielectric during injection of a high-density electron beam has been developed which allows one to understand the complex physical pattern of the phenomenon. Tomsk Polytechnic University. Institute of High-Current Electronics, Siberian Section, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 45–67, November, 1997.     

Radiation generated by the ultrafast migration of a positive charge following the ionization of a molecular system

Electronic many-body effects alone can be the driving force for an ultrafast migration of a positive charge created upon ionization of molecular systems. Here we show that this purely electronic phenomenon generates a characteristic IR radiation. The situation when the initial ionic wave packet is produced by a sudden removal of an electron is also studied. It is shown that in this case a much stronger UV emission is generated. This emission appears as an ultrafast response of the remaining electrons to the perturbation caused by the sudden ionization and as such is a universal phenomenon to be expected in every multielectron system.     

Electron trapping by alkali-ion impurities in alkali halides

Evidence is presented which indicates that certain transient infrared absorptions normally observed in alkali halide crystals are due to trapping of electrons by substitutional alkali-ion impurities.     

Nuclear quadrupolar relaxation in ionic crystals

The nuclear quadrupolar relaxation time of alkali halide crystals is investigated by the Heitler-London approximation. We use the Slater determinant which is constructed by the Hartree-Fock wave functions of the free ions. The charge distribution around an ion is not spherically symmetrical because of mutual overlap of the atomic wave functions of nearest-neighbor ions. Moreover, the charge distribution around an ion changes its shape during thermal vibrations of the ions, because the degree of the overlap depends upon the distance apart of the ions. Therefore, the quadrupolar interaction in alkali halide lattices is the resultant of a combination of the thermal vibration with the charge overlap. As illustrations of the theory, we have computed the quadrupolar relaxation time of the ³⁹K and the ³⁵Cl nuclei in the KCl crystal, and the ²³Na nucleus in the NaCl crystal. The theoretical results are in good agreement with those of experiments. We have also computed the ratio of the quadrupolar relaxation time of the metal nucleus to that of the halogen nucleus for some alkali halide crystals. After computing the same ratio by the covalent model and the deformation model, we have compared these results with the available experimental data. Finally, by using the same overlap model as that mentioned previously, we have developed a formula which gives the chemical shift of ionic crystals.     

Concentration and lifetime of nonequilibrium charge carriers in CsI and NaCl subjected to x-ray irradiation

The temperature dependence of radiation-induced conductivity was studied in the range of 80–300 K in alkali halide CsI and NaCl crystals subjected to pulsed x-ray irradiation. It is shown that an increase in electrical conductivity with increasing temperature is satisfactorily accounted for by the thermal separation of electrons and holes with common origins. The concentration and lifetime of conducting electrons, as well as the spatial distribution and the probability of thermal separation of nonequilibrium charge carriers in the common-origin electron-hole pairs after thermalization were estimated. The possible effect of the two commonorigin holes generated in the Auger process on the enhancement of recombination rate of electrons is discussed.     

极端紫外波段碱卤化物光阴极材料量子效率计算

为了满足极端紫外波段微通道位敏阳极光子计数探测器研究的需要,研究了碱卤化物光阴极材料的量子效率.由于光阴极材料的光电发射电流主要是由次级电子形成的,给出碱卤化物光阴极材料次级电子发射的理论模型,推导出次级电子产出的计算公式,针对光子能量30—250 eV范围内,计算并分析了光阴极材料厚度和光入射角对次级电子产出的影响.分析结果显示,光阴极材料厚度大于100 nm并且掠入射角大于临界角,是获得高次级电子产出的最佳条件.最后,应用推导的公式分析20种碱卤化物在能量30—250 eV范围内次级电子产出的光谱响应 关键词： 极端紫外 碱卤化物 光阴极 次级电子