Sheet resistance of alumina ceramic after high energy implantation of tantalum ions

The results of investigation of the sheet resistance of alumina ceramic as a function of the fluence of implanted metal ions are presented. Tantalum ions with the average energy about 145 keV were used in experiments. Estimation of the sheet resistance was performed from analysis of volt-ampere characteristics by measuring the leakage current at a voltage between 100 V and several kilovolts, which was applied at a small area of the implanted surface. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis was used to determine composition of elements in the surface of the implanted ceramics. As a practical application of research results, it was shown that, after the creation of a weak conducting layer on the surface of the ceramic insulator, the electric field strength of the flashover increases by more than 25%.