Displacement currents by propagating charge packets in capacitor structures I: Basic formalism applied to the case of a thin charge packet

Abstract

In this paper the displacement current dependence on the detailed electric field spatiotemporal dependence is revisited in connection with charge transport current forms obtained in capacitive structures by the time-of-flight (TOF) technique. The formalism developed may be used to analyze experimental TOF currents in insulating devices where small packets of charges in transit constitute their main operating process. In particular, it is shown that the “Shockley-Ramo” current theorem is a special case of the displacement current concept in such devices.