Fabrication of Nanosecond Time Measurement System of Prebreakdown Current

An electrode system and a buffer amplifier are designed and developed for the nanosecond time measurement of the prebreakdown current of polymers. The system is verified with the time and frequency characteristics by applying a 6-ns pulse voltage. The nanosecond time measurement was demonstrated with a 25-μm-thick polyimide with a linearly rising voltage at the rate of 10, 30, 100, and 500 V/s at room temperature. Pulse currents were obtained before the breakdown at the rising rate of 100 V/s and 500 V/s but not at 10 V/s and 30 V/s. The results may indicate that the electron process may be dominant at the rising rate of 100 V/s and 500 V/s but not at 10 V/s and 30 V/s. Thus, it may be possible to distinguish the primary factor of the breakdown process by performing a measurement using the developed system.