A Kelvin probe based method for measuring the electron emission yield of insulators and insulated conductors subjected to electron irradiation

A technique for the determination of the total electron emission yield (TEEY) of insulators or insulated conductors, due to low energy electron irradiation is described. It is based on the measurement of the surface potential variation induced by a pulsed electron beam with the help of a high-sensitivity Kelvin probe. The results obtained on a floating copper sample are in agreement with those obtained by the well-known electron-collector method, on a grounded copper sample. We illustrate the use of the technique on insulators with measurements on Kapton-HN. The measured TEEY of Kapton-HN is compared with those given in the literature with a relatively good consistency.