Surface breakdown and surface flashover characteristics of diamond and DLC thin films on dielectric substrates in vacuum

Abstract

Summary form only given. Polycrystalline diamond and diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films are becoming attractive candidates for protective coatings and as dielectric materials in the space environment because they are excellent electrical insulators, exceptional thermal conductor materials, and are also highly resistive to chemical attacks. Therefore, the design and development of devices using diamond in vacuum requires a sound understanding of surface flashover phenomena across solid insulators supporting the high voltage electrodes. In this work, the authors present experimental results identifying some surface flashover characteristics of polycrystalline diamond and DLC thin films deposited on different dielectric materials such as quartz, silicon nitride, and cubic boron nitride in space vacuum conditions. These samples were produced by a microwave plasma deposition technique, the electrodes were copper, and a dc was applied between the electrodes.