Space charge and electroluminescence in polyethylene under highly divergent field

The study of dielectric breakdown of polyethylene subjected to a highly divergent field has shown that an electroluminescence phenomenon occurs at room temperature within the bulk of the material. The emission is localized in a small region of the sample: some hundreds of μm ³ around the tip of the needle electrode, where the field is at a maximum. The present work reports a study of the characteristics of this light emission. which gives important information concerning the mechanisms responsible for the dielectric breakdown.