A contribution to breakdown voltage characteristics in air for inter-electrode distances 1–10 μm at various pressures

Knowledge on the breakdown voltage behavior in microgap distances at different pressures, from few tens of Pa up to atmospheric pressure, is extremely useful for designing electric power subsystem components in aircraft applications operating at as low as 10% of atmospheric pressure. In this work we report on breakdown voltage measurements performed in air for inter-electrode distances of 1–10μm at different pressures. The obtained results show departure from the Paschen's law with different contributions of the field electron emission to the discharge mechanisms.