The impact of electrode dielectric coating on the insulationintegrity of GIS/GITL with metallic particle contaminants

Coating the inside surface of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) enclosures with a dielectric film reduces the deleterious effect of electrode surface roughness, impedes the development of metallic particle initiated microdischarges, increases the field required to lift particles, and reduces the charge acquired by particles, all of which help alleviate the adverse effect of contaminating metallic particles on insulation withstand. The performance of particle-contaminated compressed gas systems with dielectric coated electrodes is analyzed. Two mechanisms for the transfer of charge from electrodes to contaminating particles are considered, namely, conduction through the coating layer and microdischarges in the surrounding gas. The paper presents an electrostatic study of the particle lifting fields with dielectric covered electrodes. The overall breakdown strength of the system is evaluated and the results are discussed in the light of experimental findings     

微纳尺度电气击穿特性和放电规律研究综述

微纳尺度电气击穿特性和放电规律是当前国内外学者的研究热点。本文回顾了近70年来国内外学者在该领域的主要研究工作和成果,重点从研究手段、放电规律以及物理机制等方面对不同物理尺度介电系统(宏观尺度电极/微米间隙、微米尺度电极/微米亚微米间隙、纳米尺度电极/纳米亚纳米间隙)的放电击穿特性进行了总结,阐述了电极间隙、气压、电极材料和电极形状等因素的影响机制以及不同物理尺度介电系统的放电规律。通过对微纳尺度电气击穿特性和放电规律的概括和分析,发现当前存在的主要问题并指出下一步的研究方向,对丰富和完善微纳尺度放电击穿理论具有重要参考意义。     

Electrode roughness effects on the breakdown of air-insulatedapparatus

The dielectric breakdown of air insulating systems is believed to be sensitive to local irregularity of the electric field which may result from the presence of defects such as contaminants adhering to electrode surfaces and surface roughness. Normally metal machining methods are used to eliminate such electrode surfaces irregularities. However, system aging and harsh operating conditions create and sustain such rough surface conditions which may, in turn, lead to the failure of insulation under the resulting enhanced electric stresses. Electrode surface roughness causes a large reduction in the breakdown strengths of gas insulated apparatus. Surface roughness leads to the existence of localized microscopic regions with local field intensities larger than the average field in the gas near the electrodes. This paper models the insulation breakdown mechanism in the presence of such surface roughness, or protrusions, taking into account their random nature which lends the problem to probabilistic treatment. In order to generalize the surface roughness effect on the dielectric withstand of air-insulated systems, surface roughness is simulated by using a random event generator. The perturbations which these protrusions inflict on the field distribution in a nearly-uniform field gap are assessed. The corresponding breakdown voltages are estimated for different patterns of surface roughness. The results are statistically formulated     

Impulse Breakdown Characteristics of Coated Electrodes in SF6 Gas

The authors investigated the impulse breakdown characteristics of coated high-voltage electrodes in SF6 gas with a varying nonuniform factor, electrode area, and coating material. From the viewpoint of the relation between breakdown stress and the stressed electrode area, it was clarified that with coated electrodes, breakdown voltage remains, with an increasing electrode area, nearly at the theoretically estimated level for SF6 gas breakdown without showing any decrease due to the area effect (in contrast to bare electrodes). Moreover, it was also recognized that repeated breakdown characteristics of coated electrodes differed depending on the coating materials.     

Enhanced SiO/sub 2/ reliability on deuterium-implanted silicon

Stress-induced leakage current and time-dependent dielectric breakdown were investigated to examine the reliability of gate oxides grown on hydrogen- and deuterium-implanted silicon substrates. An order of magnitude improvement in charge-to-breakdown was observed for the deuterium-implanted devices as compared with the hydrogen-implanted ones. Such reliability improvement may be explained by the reduction of defects in the SiO/sub 2/ and Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface, such as Si dangling bonds, weak Si-Si bonds, and strained Si-O bonds due to the retention of implanted deuterium at the interface and in the bulk oxide as confirmed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy.     

冲击电流下接地极屏蔽效应的试验研究

Generally,the flow of a lightning impulse current from a grounding electrode into ground is a very complicated process determined by many factors.In order to analyze the mechanism of the impulse current dissipating in the earth from grounding electrode,the experiments that had been carried out by other authors almost used a single horizontal grounding wire or vertical grounding rod for sake of simplicity.However,in practical conditions,most of the grounding systems are constructed of grounding electrodes with branches in different directions.In this study,basing on the principle of dimensional similarity,impulse simulation experiments are performed on the common ground electrodes with conductor branches.This paper focuses on analyzing the impulse current dispersal regularity of different branches when injecting at one point.Comparing with the leakage current distribution of a single ground electrode,it is found that the leakage currents along the branches increase with the distance to the current feed point,and the more conductors near the injection point,the more uneven the leakage current distribution is.This work indicates that shielding effect should be taken into account when analyzing the impulse characteristics of grounding electrodes.     

Dielectric breakdown characteristics of an insulator with a sharp edge in SF6 gas under lightning impulse voltage

This article discusses the dielectric breakdown characteristics of an insulator with a sharp edge that forms inhomogeneous gaps in SF₆ under a lightning impulse voltage. The high voltage electrode is a plane electrode, and the grounded electrode is a plane electrode with a column insulator, which has an inside electrode. The column insulator has a height of 50 mm and a diameter of 50 mm. The inside electrode in the column insulator has a height of 20 mm or 30 mm or 40 mm. The inside electrode changes the electric field on the surface of the column insulator. The SF₆ gas pressure is 0.225 MPa. Dielectric breakdown does not occur at the edge of the column insulator, but rather at the top plane of the column insulator. The dielectric breakdown voltage is defined by the electric field at the center of the column insulator     

半导体GaN功率开关器件的结构改进

针对现有的光伏逆变器半导体GaN（氮化镓,Gallium nitride）功率开关器件以难以适应现代电力电子系统高要求的问题,提出一种光伏逆变器半导体GaN功率开关器件结构改进方法。由于集电极-发射极击穿电压和饱和压降是衡量器件可靠性的重要指标,因此采用绝缘栅混合阳极二极管取代平面肖特基势垒二极管,解决集电极-发射集击穿电压和饱和压降输出不合理问题。改进后的器件阳极由肖特基栅极和欧姆阳极金属短接组成,阴极为欧姆金属;改进器件制作主要采用隔离、钝化、凹槽刻蚀、介质淀积等工艺,更好地实现功率开关和功率转换功能。经测试分析可知：改进后的功率开关器件能有效减少反向饱和漏电状况,且改进器件的温度与电压、比导通电阻成正比,高温下性能良好。     

Charging and behavior of a spherically conducting particle on a dielectrically coated electrode in the presence of electrical gradient force in atmospheric air

This paper discusses the charging and behavior of a spherically conducting particle on a dielectrically coated electrode in non-uniform dc and ac electric fields between non-parallel plane electrodes in atmospheric air. The charging mechanism of a particle resting on a dielectrically coated electrode is investigated by observing light emissions from partial discharges and by utilizing the dust figure technique. The charge acquired by a particle is estimated from the results of particle motion onset voltage measurement and direct measurement with a Faraday cage. The basic particle movement as well as particle-triggered breakdown characteristics under non-uniform electric field distribution along the electrode surface is also investigated. The results suggest that the effect of the electrical gradient force/dielectro-phoretic force on particle motion on a dielectrically coated electrode should be adequately considered in the design of gas insulated systems (GIS). This is because a particle can move laterally on the coated electrode toward increasing electric field regions by the action of the electrical gradient force which is independent of the charge on the particle. Also the possibility of the particle charging and lifting at high field regions or reaching and adhering onto an insulating spacer further increases the risk of breakdown.     

SF6气体在环形电极下的击穿特性

为获得高电压等级SF6电器绝缘结构实际形状电极的击穿特性,试验了环形电极在SF6最大压力0.8MPA,端面曲率半径为0.1、0.3 CM时电极间击穿电压随气压的变化。确定了SF6气体在两类环形电极间击穿场强随气压的变化,并给出了试验值与简化模型的工程解析计算值间的比较,可供使用相似电极设备的设计参考。     

Automatic breakdown voltage measurement of polymer films

Determining the breakdown strength of dielectric films is tedious, as the breakdown strength at 1% breakdown probability is more relevant to system insulation design than the Weibull characteristic breakdown strength, and obtaining reasonable confidence limits at 1% breakdown probability requires very large numbers of breakdowns. An automatic system for DC ramp breakdown strength measurements has been reported [1]. This system comprises a HV-probe and a movable arm equipped with an electrode holder that scans over the sample surface. One problem with this approach is that the metal electrodes are damaged by the breakdowns which, based on the author's experience, results in occasional low breakdowns that can distort the statistical distribution. To avoid this problem, a breakdown tester that can carry out breakdown strength measurements automatically utilizing metalized film electrodes has been developed. In this system, metalized films are used as electrodes and renewed after each breakdown. This is accomplished using a mechanical assembly under computer control through a LabView interface. By utilizing metalized films and renewing them after each breakdown, the system does not suffer from breakdown-induced electrode damage. To evaluate the system, we carried out 100 breakdowns with three active areas varying from 2 cm2 to 20 cm2. The breakdown data were analyzed using a Weibull distribution, agreed well with previous data obtained manually, and scaled properly as a function of area based on a Weibull distribution [2]. We have carried out over 600 breakdowns automatically, which is sufficient to provide very good data at low probability of breakdown. The development of the automatic breakdown strength tester provides a means to evaluate polymer films at low breakdown probability which is relevant to insulation design.     

空气中介质阻挡大气压辉光放电特性的研究

采用筛网电极和聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇脂(PET)薄膜作为阻挡介质的介质阻挡放电(DBD)结构在空气中产生大气压辉光放电(APGD)。通过测量空气中APGD的电气特性和发光强度空间的分布特性,比较了它们与丝状DBD的区别: 通过研究APGD的放电特性,分析了空气中APGD的放电机理。实验结果与分析表明,采用该电极结构可以在空气中产生APGD,空气中APGD的放电特性与丝状DBD具有明显的区别,筛网电极起到了在气隙击穿前产生电晕放电对驻极体阻挡介质充电的作用。     

Interface reliability assessments for copper/low-k products

Multiple new materials are being adopted by the semiconductor industry at a rapid rate for both semiconductor devices and packages. These advances are driving significant investigation into the impact of these materials on device and package reliability. Active investigation is focused on the impact of back-end-of-line (BEOL) processing on Cu/low-k reliability. This paper discusses Cu/low-k BEOL interfacial reliability issues and relates key items from the assembly process and packaging viewpoint that should be managed in order to prevent adverse assembly impact on BEOL interfacial reliability. Reliability failure mechanisms discussed include interface diffusion-controlled events such as the well-known example of Cu electromigration (EM), as well as stress-migration voiding. Interface defectivity impact on dielectric breakdown and leakage is discussed. Lastly, assessments of assembly impact on these Cu/low-k interfacial concerns are highlighted.     

螺旋针-环结构等离子体射流放电过程分析

为降低气体的击穿和维持电压,设计一种螺旋针-环电极结构的等离子体射流装置,研究不同电压下的放电电压、电流波形。研究表明,氦气等离子体射流放电可以分为电晕放电、介质阻挡放电和射流放电三个阶段,并且可以通过放电电压、电流波形的特征进行区分。分析可知,射流管管径较大时,采用螺旋针状内电极结构可以减小电极间的平均气体间隙距离,从而降低气体的击穿和维持电压,使放电更加容易进行;电压反向过程中残留电荷使得合成电场得到加强,气体将"提前"发生放电;由于电极结构的不对称,气体在正半周期更容易发生放电,放电产生的电流脉冲数目更多,电流值更大;随着外加电压增大至14k V,放电最终过渡到丝状放电状态。     

RF MEMS器件时变结构电磁特性数值计算方法

准确掌握射频微机电(RF MEMS)器件的电磁特性是WSN节点射频收发前端设计可靠与否的关键,为解决RF MEMS器件时变结构的电磁特性数值计算问题,建立了RF MEMS器件垂直运动结构的机电耦合模型,实现了模型的时域离散,在时域有限差分的基础上,提出电(磁)介质参数插值的新思路,详细阐述了线性电(磁)介质参数插值法的基本思想,并推导了一维线性插值的计算公式.仿真实验结果表明,该计算方法具有易实现、速度快、效率高的特点.     

Electrical characterization of benzocyclobutene polymers for electric micromachines

An approach using interdigitated capacitors for electrical characterization of CYCLOTENE, a spin-on low-k benzocyclobutene (BCB)-based polymer is introduced and the effect of moisture uptake is investigated. The dielectric constant of CYCLOTENE is extracted from capacitance measurements with a systematic error less than 0.1%, giving an average value of 2.49 with a standard deviation of 1.5%. The dielectric constant increases by 1.2% after a humidity stress of 85% RH at 85/spl deg/C. The I-V characteristics of CYCLOTENE show a dependency of breakdown strength and leakage current on the geometrical dimensions of the device under test. A breakdown strength of 225V//spl mu/m and 320 V//spl mu/m for 2-/spl mu/m and 3-/spl mu/m finger spacing, respectively, and a leakage current of a few to tens of pA are measured. The I-V characteristics degrade drastically after the humidity stress, showing a breakdown strength of 100 V//spl mu/m and 180 V//spl mu/m for 2-/spl mu/m and 3-/spl mu/m finger spacing, respectively, and a maximum increase in the leakage current as large as one order of magnitude. The maximum performance and long-term reliability of an electric micromachine are adversely affected by the degradation of the breakdown voltage and the leakage current after moisture absorption. It is expected, however, that the electrical efficiency is improved using BCB-based polymers with negligible dependency on moisture absorption.     

The effects of forming gas anneal on the electrical characteristics of ir-electroded BST thin film capacitors

Abstract

The effect of various temperature nitrogen anneals prior to top electrode deposition on the ability of Ba_0.7Sr_0.3TiO₃ (BST) thin-film capacitors with both Ir and Pt top electrodes to withstand hydrogen damage was investigated. Experimental results show that samples that underwent a 750 °C N₂ pre-top electrode anneal exhibited the lowest leakage current density at positive bias for both Ir- and Pt-electroded devices after forming gas anneal. It was also found that DRAM polarization values decreased slightly after forming gas anneal. Also, a post-top electrode deposition 550°C O₂ anneal improved both electrical characteristics (lowered leakage and increased DRAM polarization) of these devices. Complete recovery of the leakage level prior to hydrogen damage was obtained after a 550°C N₂ recovery anneal for some devices independent of the pre-top electrode anneal. Ir- and Pt-electroded BST (40nm) capacitors have been shown to meet the 1 giga-bit DRAM leakage current requirement of 10^?8 A/cm² at 1.7 V. These Ir- and Pt-electroded BST devices achieved capacitance density levels of approximately 50 fF/μm².     

Influence of electrode area on the conditioning effect in vacuum

Using three types of copper electrodes with different surface areas, experiments were performed to investigate the influence of electrode area on the conditioning effect,which is a characteristic of dielectric breakdown in vacuum gaps. The conditioning process varied with electrode area: the smaller the electrode area, the sooner conditioning ended. Breakdown voltages after completion of conditioning also depended on electrode area: the smaller the electrode area, the higher the breakdown voltage     

Iridium thin film as a bottom electrode for high dielectric (Ba,Sr)TiO3 capacitors

Abstract

We propose Ir thin films as new electrode materials for high dielectric BST capacitors. Ir was found to be superior to Pt in a number of aspects such as resistivity, adhesion and surface roughness. The Pt/BST/Ir/SiO₂/Si capacitors showed leakage currents as low as Pt/BST/Pt/SiO₂/Si ones, but higher capacitance resulted. For endurance properties with +5V unipolar pulse trains, the dielectric constant of BST films on Ir decreased by only 10% below its initial value after switching of 10⁹ cycles while that on Pt degraded by 30% after 10⁸ cycles. Ir bottom electrode effects on BST film properties were well explained by the formation of IrO₂ phases on the surface of Ir electrodes.     

Pulsed HV vacuum breakdown of polished, powder coated, and e-beam treated large area stainless steel electrodes with 0.5 to 7 mm gaps

An investigation of the HV vacuum breakdown between polished, powder coated, and e-beam treated 304L and 316L stainless steel electrodes is described. Tests were performed with 160 ns, 1-cos(/spl omega/t), and 260 ns flat-top voltage pulses of up to 500 kV. The high voltage hold-off for the 160 ns pulse was /spl sim/130 kV/mm for 2 mm gaps for 80-mm diameter polished stainless steel electrodes, and 15% lower for 120-mm polished and e-beam treated electrodes. The longer 260 ns pulse gave 15% lower hold-off for 80-mm electrodes. These electrodes showed voltage hold-off that scaled as the square root of the gap between 0.5 and 7 mm. This total voltage effect has been interpreted in the past as due to accelerated particles. We analyze our data in terms of this mechanism and show that only nanoparticles of molecular size could be responsible. We also discuss how ions or background gas could affect the breakdown thresholds but existing models do not predict square root dependence. We test how extremely fine powers affect hold-off and show that contaminated surfaces have relatively constant reduced breakdown E-fields that intersect the clean-electrode voltage-dependent breakdown at critical gaps defined by the type and quantity of contamination. The hold-off was /spl sim/55 and 65 kV/mm with copper powder on the cathode and anode for 2 to 6.5 mm gaps, respectively, and /spl sim/95 and 75 kV/mm for talc powder on the cathode and anode for gaps <3.5 and 6.5 mm. Optical diagnostics show no difference in the light emission from clean and contaminated electrode breakdown arcs.