Cathodo- and electro-luminescence spectra in insulating polymers: A parallel approach for inferring electrical ageing mechanisms

Films of poly(ethylene naphthalate), polyethylene (either low density or cross-linked) and epoxy resins have been irradiated with electrons having kinetic energies of up to 10 keV, i.e. able to break bonds of the polymeric chains (featuring therefore hot electrons effects). The so-called cathodo-luminescence spectrum has been acquired for different electron energies. With the various materials tested, we were able to reproduce the EL spectrum of these materials. These results allow to associate electroluminescence and electrical ageing in an implicit scheme, opening the way for defining safety limits in terms of electric stresses applied to a material for a given application.