Methodological aspects of the electron-beam investigation of dielectric target charging
The basic characteristics of dielectric target charging with (2–30)-keV electron beams were investigated using the example of a typical insulator, Al2O3. A new hypothetical scenario of dielectric charging, based on the reduction of secondary-electron current due to the formation of polarized excitons in the positive layer of a charged target, is proposed on the basis of modeling calculations and the experimental data.