Initiation Mechanism of Pulsed Surface Flashover Along Silicon in Vacuum by Pre-Breakdown Conduction and Photon Emission

Abstract

Pre-breakdown (leakage) and breakdown currents and photon-emission associated with the currents, under impulse (0.36/10 micro s) voltage stress, along high purity (p>30 K omega em) silicon, with and without gold end contacts in vacuum (-10[expn -6 Torr]), are discussed. Three distinct phases leading to the breakdown condition are observed. These are one-carrier (hole) leakage current, two-carrier (electrons and holes) current, and complete surface flashover processes. The onset of photon-emission coincides with the onset of two-carrier current. The temporally resolved one-carrier leakage current (ohmic or charge injection dominated) and photon-emission data show that there is a certain threshold leakage current which initiates the rest of the processes.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA640234

Entities

People

  • S. H. Nam
  • T. S. Sudarshan

Organizations

  • University of South Carolina

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Collapse
  • Electric Fields
  • Electrical Insulation
  • Electrons
  • Emission
  • High Density
  • High Voltage
  • Materials
  • Numbers
  • Observation
  • Pulsed Power
  • Semiconductors
  • Space Charge
  • Stainless Steel
  • Vacuum
  • Voltage

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics