Electrical system for measurement of breakdown voltage of vacuum and gas-filled tubes using a dynamic method

This article describes an electrical system aimed at measuring and data acquisition of breakdown voltages of vacuum and gas-filled tubes. The measurements were performed using a nitrogen-filled tube at 4 mbar pressure. Based on the measured breakdown voltage data as a function of the applied voltage increase rate, a static breakdown voltage is estimated for the applied voltage gradient ranging from 0.1 to 1 V s(-1) and from 1 to 10 V s(-1). The histograms of breakdown voltages versus applied voltage increase rates from 0.1 and 0.5 V s(-1) are approximated by the probability density functions using a fitting procedure. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.