ABSTRACT
Thermally stimulated processes (TSPs) are comprised of catalyzing the processes of charge generation and storage in the condensed phase at a relatively higher temperature and freezing the created charges, mainly in the bulk of the dielectric material, at a lower temperature. The mechanism for creation of charges may be derived by using a number of different techniques: luminescence, x-rays, high electric fields, corona discharge, etc. The external agency is removed after the charges are frozen in and the material is heated in a controlled manner, during which drift and redistribution of charges occur within the volume. During heating, one or more of the parameters are measured to understand the processes of charge generation. The measured parameter, in most cases the current, is a function of time or temperature, and the resulting curve is variously called the glow curve, thermogram, or the heating curve. In the study of thermoluminescence, the charge carriers are generated in the insulator or semiconductor at room temperature using the photoelectric effect.
