Hello I seek the expert's opinion on breakdown voltage.
I made an oxidation layer on the metal surface and applied high voltage on it.
Oxide layer is supposed to be insulating layer but the small electron would flow due to super high voltage applied because it reaches breakdown voltage.
1. Breakdown voltage always accompanies the failure of the oxide layer?
2. What could determine the breakdown voltage of the oxide layer?
(assuming that thickness of oxide layer is same)
Failure of any kind of oxide layer under high electrical fields it self is know is breakdown.
Breakdown occurs at a certain threshold field value, known as breakdown field.
The breakdown field varies with the varying quality of the oxide layer, its thickness, its composition.
Breakdown means the electrical conduction has increased. There are charge carriers which are carrying the current upon breakdown.
Now what determines the breakdown. Under high fields, you cab cause electrical breakdown of the ocide compound, releasing electrons for conduction, or alternately there can be defect, and impurities in the oxide layer, which can get activated under high fields and causing conduction. Analysing the I-V characteristics would lead to valuable information on the conduction mechanism, and give anidea for the reason causing the breakdown.
you can read this old classic paper available on the net on breakdown mechanisms, and there are many other nice papers in the reported literature
- Badges
- Science topic