Characterization of the dielectric breakdown strength of thin elastic films in various ambient media

Dielectric elastomer transducers (DETs) consist of an elastic dielectric film sandwiched between compliant electrodes. The dielectric breakdown field strength of the elastomer restricts the applied voltage. For an efficient operation of the DET, the breakdown strength of the elastomer has to be known. In this work, the application of a novel thin silicone film material from Wacker Chemie AG as elastic dielectric is investigated. The silicone film exhibits high breakdown strength and low thicknesses down to a few micrometers. Existing standards and methods for the measurement of breakdown strength seem to be not applicable for the thin silicone films. Therefore, a newly developed measurement setup for the characterization of the breakdown strength of thin elastic films in various ambient media (solids, liquids, gases) is described in this work. In addition, breakdown measurements in air, silicone oil and solid silicone are conducted. The results show the influence of the three different ambient media on the measured breakdown strength of the silicone film.