Flashover in wide-band-gap high-purity insulators: Methodology and mechanisms

The electron beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to charge an unmetallized insulator (Al2O3, Y2O3, SiO2) in vacuum. The charging is found to be stable in time after the e-beam is switched off. The SEM is also used to measure the implanted charge by measuring the resulting electrostatic potential. The distribution of potential around the trapped charges is determined by the classical laws of electrostatics. The electrostatic energy stored in the polarized dielectric can thus be determined. The implanted charge can be removed by the introduction of carriers into the polarized sample by flooding the surface with electron beams of varying energies. Slow or rapid relaxation occurs depending on the operating conditions of the flood gun (energy, intensity, etc.) which introduces the electrons. When the relaxation kinetics are slow, the electrostatic charge decreases slowly as a function of time. On the other hand, a rapid relaxation of the dielectric leads to the appearance of a high-density plasma which spreads over the insulator surface, resulting in treeing on the insulator surface. Along the path of the arc, the transfer of energy to the lattice triggers the sublimation of the ceramic and its mechanical fracture through thermal shock. At particular flood gun setup conditions, we have observed the formation of parallel fracture lines along the ceramic surface, away from the treeing region. These results constitute the basis for a new approach to understanding flashover along ceramics-vacuum interfaces. The important step is the plasma initiation, which we interpret on the basis of dielectric relaxation mechanisms. The parameter of the insulator that determines its breakdown initiation is its complex dielectric constant. It is concluded that the insulator’s band gap, the nature and density of defects localized in the band gap, and the dipolar relaxation induced by a variation of the electric field and connected with the presence of defects determine the holdoff level of insulators.