Energy released during space charge relaxation induced breakdown

A system able to measure in situ, after charging by an electron beam in a SEM, the energy released for small-sized dielectrics is described. The device observe the phenomena of breakdown during detrapping. Preliminary calibration by the Joule effect and by a laser irradiation technique has shown that the sensitivity of the device presently corresponds, through an amplifier, to an analog signal, giving a deviation of 0.70 μWatt/mm. The nature of the thermal event (endothermic or exothermic) can be established by focusing the electron beam on the grounded steel sheet before implantation. Preliminary results show that an exothermic signal may occur during the event produced by the charge detrapping breakdown, whereas a slow detrapping cannot be detected