Theory of Dielectric Breakdown in Solids

Abstract

A short review is given of current trends in research on the theory of dielectric breakdown in solids; in particular the theory of thermal breakdown is discussed for the case in which the dielectric conductivity is explicitly field dependent. A new possibility for avalanche breakdown is also examined. The field in the dielectric is considered to be nonuniform because of the space charges created by collision ionization, and the enhanced field adjacent to the cathode causes field emission which is many orders of magnitude greater than would be expected from a mean field calculation