Space charge measurement in solid dielectrics by the pulsed electro-acoustic technique

Born in 1985, the PEA technique consists in detecting acoustic waves generated by space charges when they are subjected to an impulse of electric field. Its principle is relatively simple to understand and its use is very flexible. Compared to other techniques as LIPP (Laser Induced Pressure Pulse) method and TSM (Thermal Step Method), the PEA technique is the only one being not based on the relative displacement of the space charge in respect to the electrodes. We show here how consistent information on space charge can be extracted from a simple physical equation and we discuss with the help of a simple modeling the effect of numerical processes such as Gaussian filter.