A Study of the Unipolar Arcing Damage Mechanism on Selected Conductors and Semiconductors

摘要

A broad investigation, experimental and theoretical, of the mechanism of unipolar arcing has been conducted. A theoretical discussion of existing unipolar arc models is presented. Experimental and theoretical evidence is used to support the Schwirzke-Taylor Model at the expense of other models. Three current models of arc motion are examined and refuted. Experimental results show that Aluminum and various steels arc heavily, Molybdenum and Nickel to a lesser extent, and commercially prepared metallic glasses not at all. The semi-conductors showed some arcing on Germanium but none on Silicon. Experiments showed that grain boundaries play no significant role in unipolar arc initiation. Experiments were conducted in which a laser produced metallic glass is exposed to the plasma produced by the same laser pulse. The results are used to refute the microwhisker explosion models of unipolar arc initiation. (Author)