High-Voltage Capacitor Grooved Dielectric Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage capacitors face breakdown due to contaminating particles and humidity on the dielectric layer, leading to excessive leakage currents and arc short circuits, which reduce their reliability and performance.
Innovation Solution
A high-voltage capacitor design featuring a substrate with a first and second electrode, and a dielectric layer with a second dielectric region having grooves that increase the spatial extension of the surface path between the electrodes, enhancing the resistive path length and reducing the risk of conductive paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick dielectric layer is used to prevent breakdown, then the breakdown voltage is sufficient, but the capacitor size increases and surface contamination still causes leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric layer is segmented into two distinct regions: a first dielectric region with higher permittivity and a second dielectric region with lower permittivity. This segmentation allows the capacitor to achieve the required breakdown voltage with a more compact overall structure, as the high-permittivity region provides the necessary voltage resistance while the low-permittivity region reduces the overall capacitance and size.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the dielectric layer are assigned different permittivity values to optimize local functions. The first dielectric region (closer to the electrode) has higher permittivity to ensure sufficient breakdown voltage and capacitance, while the second dielectric region (outer layer) has lower permittivity to reduce overall capacitor size and provide contamination resistance.
2Ease of manufacture
If the dielectric layer surface is left flat, then the manufacturing is simpler, but contaminating particles and humidity create conductive paths causing leakage currents
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric layer structure is extended into the vertical dimension by creating a layered configuration with different permittivity values at different depths. The first dielectric region is positioned closer to the electrode while the second dielectric region forms an outer layer, creating a vertical gradient that provides both manufacturing simplicity and enhanced resistance to surface contamination and humidity-induced leakage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design increases the resistive path length between the electrodes, reducing leakage currents and arc short circuits, making the capacitors more compact and less susceptible to electromagnetic disturbances, while maintaining the same surface resistance.
Implementation Method 1
The second dielectric region has a plurality of grooves that increase a spatial extension of said surface path
Implementation Method 2
a capacitor is coupled between the first electronic circuit and the second electronic circuit, and the capacitor is configured to galvanically isolate the first and second electronic circuits and transfer information associated with the frequency of the output signal
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides capacitors and methods of forming capacitors. In one embodiment, a capacitor includes a substrate, a first electrode on the substrate, a second electrode, and a first dielectric layer. A portion of the first electrode is exposed in a contact region. The first dielectric layer includes a first dielectric region between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a second dielectric region between the first dielectric region and the contact region. The second dielectric region is contiguous to the first dielectric region, and a surface of the second dielectric region defines a surface path between the first electrode and the contact region. The second dielectric region has a plurality of grooves that increase a spatial extension of said surface path.