Dielectric surface flashover in vacuum - Experimental design issues

In order to determine the influence of intrinsic material properties of dielectric materials on high field surface flashover characteristics in vacuum, it is important that we minimize or eliminate the influence of the experimental test structure on the high field processes. In this paper we shall examine the flashover characteristics of polycrystalline alumina insulators, using a lateral test structure similar to the one used in semiconductor devices. A significant improvement in surface flashover strengths (similar to 200%) was found using a metalized contact electrode system compared with a classical solid electrode system. The results indicate that, using a metalized film cathode, the scatter in the flashover data is significantly reduced compared with the solid electrode system, implying that the electron-dielectric interaction processes that lead to flashover occur in a more predictable fashion. The new metal contact electrode system reveals the dependence of flashover strength on the surface preparation and the grain size of the dielectric material. The average flashover strength increases and the scatter in the flashover data decrease with a decrease in the average grain size of the particles composing the alumina ceramic. Thus the surface flashover processes in vacuum are related to the dielectric surface microstructure, specifically the surface and sub-surface microdamage and grain-boundary defects.