MEASUREMENT OF THE INTERNAL SPACE-CHARGE DISTRIBUTION OF AN ANTI-ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE POLYMER

Charged dielectrics can cause an electrostatic discharge (ESD) that da mages electronic circuits because of the electromagnetic noise associa ted with the discharge. Newly developed anti-ESD polymers are expected to be 'anti-ESD polymer insulating materials', but the mechanism of t heir action against ESD has not been explained. Since the anti-ESD pol ymers contain some kind of polymer solid electrolyte, they should be a ble to be characterized by the behavior of their internal space charge . By measuring the space charge distribution of an anti-ESD polymer us ing the pulsed electroacoustic method under de electric field, we foun d that the polymer was effective in preventing ESD because the interna l space charge near the surface partially compensates the electric fie ld of the external charge on the surface. We also found indications th at the internal space charge behavior is related to the dispersion of the polymer solid electrolyte.