Pre-breakdown Arcing in Dielectrics under Electric Field Stress

ORAL

Abstract

High electric field stress phenomena associated with electrostatic discharge (ESD) were studied for dielectrics, including low density polyethylene, polyimide, and disordered SiO2. ESD is the free flow of current through a dielectric that has broken down due to high electric field stress. The critical field for ESD was determined by increasing the voltage across 25 $\mu$m samples in 20V steps, and monitoring the leakage current. A simple parallel-plate capacitor geometry was used, under high vacuum, to reach fields of up to 590MV/m. Prior to destructive ESD breakdown, pre-breakdown current arcs can occur through a dielectric. For polymers, pre-ESD transient current spikes were observed with measurements at 0.25Hz and 10kHz. The field at which pre-breakdown arcing begins was compared to the critical ESD field for each material studied. Arcing was also observed as part of endurance time measurements, where the sample is held at a fraction of the critical breakdown field and wait time to ESD is measured. These pre-ESD discharge phenomena are explained in terms of breakdown modes and defect generation on a microscopic scale. Pre-breakdown arcs are understood in terms of thermally repairable defects, while ESD requires the creation of defects related to bond breaking in the material.

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Authors

  • Allen Andersen

    Utah State University

  • Benjamin Bloom

    Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, The University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Principal Investigator, Graduate Student, Colorado State University, SSRL, SLAC, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Colorado State Univ, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, The University Centre in Svalbard, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, New Mexico State University, The George Washington University Nuclear Physics Research Group, Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, None, Colorado State Engineering Research Center, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, University of California San Diego, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Imperial College London, Space Dynamics Lab, Utah State University, Physics and CASS, Utah State University, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, RASEI, NREL, University of Colorado, Rutgers, UTK, Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research \& ORNL, University of Guelph, Insitituto de Estructura de la Materia, University of Toronto, INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, University of York, University of Surrey, TRIUMF, Simon Frasier University, Universdad de Sevilla, Simon Fraser University, Univ of Utah, Univ of Wyoming, New Mexico Tech, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Research Division, Irvine Valley College, University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, High Altitude Observatory, JILA, University of Colorado