Electrical breakdown phenomena involving material interfaces

Electrical breakdown in a composite gas-solid dielectric is described in qualitative terms. Continuum- and particle-based calculations are performed on idealized structures. The analysis and the calculations suggest that dielectric permittivity has an important role at early times in the breakdown events. The continuum calculations show that the space-charge limited current in the solid dielectric has an important role at longer times. At very long times, the Joule heating from the space-charge limited current is expected to produce thermal breakdown.