Mechanism of superior charge suppression behavior of Si3N4 ceramics at solid-gas interface

Abstract

Recent study has found excellent bulk and surface insulation property of Si3N4 ceramic which make it potential to serve as key insulation component in various energy transmission apparatus. Charge accumulation at gas-solid interface is a critical insulation property but few relevant study on Si3N4 can be found. This contribution has investigated the surface charge property of Si3N4 ceramic compared to traditional insulation polymer under different electrical-thermal stress. Through its comparison with the electric field distribution, the main source of the surface charge accumulation is analyzed, indicating that the superior surface charge suppression performance of Si3N4 lies on its low carrier density and conduction barrier, which considerably prevent charge injection and suppress the normal electric field which drives the charge to the gas-solid interface. The proposed mechanism is also validated by the characterization on conducting and space charge property for Si3N4 as well as dynamic simulation on surface charge accumulation.