Charging effect induced by electron beam irradiation: a review

Charging effect frequently occurs when characterizing nonconductive materials using electrons as probes and/or signals and can impede the acquisition of useful information about the material under investigation. It is not adequate to investigate it merely by experiments, but theoretical investigations, for which the Monte Carlo method is a suitable tool, are also necessary. In this paper we review Monte Carlo simulations and selected experiments, intending to provide general insight into the charging effects induced by electron beam irradiation. We will introduce categories of the charging effect, the theoretical framework that is adopted in Monte Carlo modeling of the charging effect and present some typical simulation results. At last, with the knowledge on charging effect imparted by the above contents, we will discuss the measures that can be used for minimizing it.