Low-temperature radiation-induced conductivity of polystyrene under the action of low-energy electrons

Technical Physics Letters. 2023. Vol. 68. No. 1. P. 123–126.

I.R. Mullakhmetov, V.S. Saenko, A.P. Tyutnev, E.D. Pozhidaev

A technique has been developed and, for the first time, sufficiently complete data on the radiation-induced
conductivity (RIC) of polystyrene (PS) at a temperature of 79K, close to the boiling point of liquid nitrogen
(77K). RIC has been studied under pulsed and continuous exposure to electrons with an energy of 50 keV. It
is shown that the RIC of PS at a temperature of 79K, as well as at room temperature, determined by the sum
of two components: prompt and delayed. Both components at 79K are much smaller than at 298K. The total
signal falls off by a factor of 40, while the delayed component falls off by a factor of almost 200, and the prompt
component dominant in the RIC signal. The possibility of the occurrence of electrostatic discharges (ESD) in PS
with decreasing temperature was studied. It has been shown that PS, which is capable of resisting the occurrence
of ESD at room temperature, at 79K passes into the category of materials in which ESD is possible.

Keywords: polystyrene, radiation-induced conductivity, Low-temperature, under the action of low-energy electrons

Publication based on the results of: Investigation of transport properties of heterogeneous dielectric layers of advanced photo converters aimed to improve their efficiency and lifetime in a broad temperature range (2023)