Effect of space charge on

breakdown voltages
&
Townsend Criterion for a Spark
Lec# 05
Space charge
A collection of particles with a net electric charge occupying a region,
either in free space or in a device.
Space charge is a concept in which excess electric charge is treated as
a continuum of charge distributed over a region of space (either a
volume or an area) rather than distinct point-like charges.
This model typically applies when charge carriers have been emitted
from some region of a solid—the cloud of emitted carriers can form a
space charge region if they are sufficiently spread out, or the charged
atoms or molecules left behind in the solid can form a space charge
region.
How space charge is formed?
• Special inhomogeneous resistivity
• Ionization of species (gas medium in our
case) to form hetero-charge.
• Charge injection from electrodes (trapping).

Hetero and homo charge

Hetero charge means that the polarity of the space charge is opposite to that of neighboring electrode, and homo
charge is the reverse situation. Under high voltage application, a hetero charge near the electrode is expected to
reduce the breakdown voltage, whereas a homo charge will increase it. After polarity reversal under ac conditions,
the homo charge is converted to hetero space charge.
Effect of space charge on breakdown voltage
• The ionization coefficient α is the function of the field gradient
existing in the gap and its value is effected by the presence of the
space charges.
• Space charges either reduces the electric stress (V) or reduces
effective displacement of the gap to either increase the breakdown
voltage or decrease it respectively.
• The space charge fields play an important role in the mechanism of
corona and spark discharges.
• When avalanches occur, the electrons move quickly to the anode,
leaving behind the slowly moving positive ions in the region of high
stress i.e. near the point electrode. These, therefore, constitute a
positive space charge near the electrode.
• If the point electrode is of negative polarity, the positive space charge
around it acts as a screen that decreases the stress between the point
electrode and other electrode, and so tends to increase the
breakdown voltage.
• If the point electrode is positive, the space charge acts as an
extension of the electrode and so the effective gap length decreases,
thereby reducing the breakdown voltage.
Transition from non-self-sustained discharges
to breakdown:
As the voltage applied across a spark gap increases the current increases
in accordance with the equation

until at some point there is a sudden transition from Townsend dark

current Io to a self-sustaining discharge [sudden current rises in the gap].
At this point current becomes indeterminate and the denominator
𝛼𝑑
in the
equation vanishes i.e.𝛾 (𝑒 −1)=1or approximately𝛾 𝑒 =1
𝛼𝑑

Theoretically the value of current becomes infinitely large, but in practice

it is limited by the external circuit.
• Vanishing of the denominator in the equation is the condition of
onset of the spark. Following points are the explanation of the
criterion.
For 𝛾 𝑒 𝛼 𝑑 <1the discharge current is not self-sustaining, i.e. on the
removal of the source producing the primary current io it ceases to
flow.
𝛼𝑑
For 𝛾 𝑒 =1the number of ion pairs produced in the gap by the
passage of one avalanche is sufficiently large that the resulting
positive ions, on bombarding the cathode, are able to release one
secondary electron and so cause a repetition of the avalanche
process. The discharge is then self sustaining and can continue in 𝛼𝑑
the
absence of the source producing io, so the that the criterion 𝛾 𝑒 =1
can be said to define the sparking threshold.
For 𝛾 𝑒 𝛼 𝑑 >1 the ionization produced by the successive avalanche is
cumulative. The spark discharge grows more rapidly the more does
exceed unity.
THANKS