Surface potential decay and return voltage buildup. Applications to the understanding of the electrical transport in insulating films

The charges injected in a stressed insulator can be characterized by monitoring the surface potential before and after a temporary short-circuit. These measurements allow an easy evaluation of the total amount of charge injected, of its mean depth (hence the first moment of its distribution) and of the effective mobility of the carriers. The method seems well suited to provide an easy evaluation of the effects of various treatments on insulator surfaces