Space Charge Characterization for the 21st Century

Published

October 12, 2021

Author(s)

G Damamme, C LeGressus, A S. DeReggi

Abstract

The various methods of characterizing insulating materials by their ability to take up charge, retain it, and release it are reviewed critically in search of measurable quantities that could be used to predict material behavior under stress up to failure conditions. Space charge characterization data on different types of materials from polymers to inorganic single crystals and ceramics are surveyed. The charging behavior is found to be influenced by many details such as surface condition and residual stresses. The traditional approach of linking dielectric breakdown to an intrinsic critical field for the material is tested against the newly emerging view that breakdown should be linked to space charge trapping at defect sites and to the attendant energetics of the mechanically strained lattice. The characterization process thus requires more care than was previously thought necessary, but with more research should become more predictive.

Citation

Digest of Literature on Dielectrics

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

breakdown, dielectric aging, electrical insulation, space charge

Citation

Damamme, G. , LeGressus, C. and DeReggi, A. (2021), Space Charge Characterization for the 21st Century, Digest of Literature on Dielectrics (Accessed May 17, 2026)

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