Mechanism of Thermal Charge Relaxation in Poled Silicate Glasses in a Wide Temperature Range (From Liquid Nitrogen to Glass Melting Temperature).

Data on thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) study of the same poled glass in the temperature range 100-1000 K are analyzed. Four specific temperature ranges in the TSDC spectrum of this glass are identified, with each range being attributed to the charge relaxation processes of different natures. During linear heating in the temperature range 100-250 K, charge relaxation is related to the adsorption/desorption of particles from the atmosphere, supposedly water cluster ions H+(H2O)n. The next TSDC band, which is observed at room temperature and above, is related to the disordering of the polar structural entities. The TSDC band in the temperature range 500-750 K is attributed to the relaxation of spatial charge by the diffusion mechanism. The TSDC band in the temperature range 750-1000 K is attributed to the relaxation of spatial charge by the viscous flow mechanism. All these data allowed drawing a schematic TSDC spectrum of silicate glasses in the full temperature range.