| The surface flashover strengths in vacuum for several common insulators, including Lexan, Lucite, polyethylene, Macor, quartz, alumina, and an alumina-filled epoxy, have been increased using a vacuum spark discharge treatment. Analysis of the treated surfaces using Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) show them to be coated with a thin hydrocarbon/metal oxide layer. The formation of this high-flashover coating is strongly dependent on the amount of water vapor in the chamber during treatment. Measurements of the secondary electron emission coefficient (SEEC) show that the treated surfaces produce many more secondary electrons at energies of a few keV than do untreated samples. In current theories of electrical breakdown, an avalanche of monoenergetic secondary electrons along the dielectric surface from the cathode to the anode is believed to cause gas desorption and initiate a surface flashover. A new theory is proposed in which the monoenergetic nature of this secondary electron avalanche is destroyed due to electron-gas molecule collisions before the onset of breakdown. This phenomenon, coupled with the larger number of secondaries produced at high energies, could lead to a modified charge distribution on the surface of the treated insulators, which delays the breakdown process. |
