Theoretical Basis and Experimental Validation of the Breakdown Induced by Rupture of Dielectric Layer Model

In vacuum (p 100 kV) and with long gap (>10-3 m), the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) emission current between metallic anode and cathode has superimposed random bursts which often evolve into breakdown during the voltage conditioning process. Despite the effort made to get a solid understanding of these phenomena, a satisfactory explanation has not been so far attained. A no...