Ester liquids including both natural ester and synthetic ester are being considered as potential alternatives to mineral oil, due to their better environmental performance and for some liquids their higher fire point. Although these liquids have been widely used in distribution and traction transformers, it is still a significant step to adopt ester liquids in high-voltage power transformers because the high cost and severe consequence of a factory test failure and the high level of safety and reliability required in service for these units, tend to lead to a cautious approach to any step change in technology. Lightning impulse strength as basic insulation level is of importance for insulation design of power transformers and lightning impulse test is commonly required in the factory routine tests for high-voltage power transformers, so this thesis is aimed to investigate the electrical performances including pre-breakdown and breakdown of natural ester and synthetic ester under impulse voltage. Two types of field geometry were considered in the study, one is sphere-sphere configuration which represents the quasi-uniform fields inside a transformer and another is strongly non-uniform point-plane configuration which represents the situation of a defect or a source of discharge. In quasi-uniform field study, standard breakdown tests were carried out under negative lightning and switching impulse voltages. Influence of various testing methods on the measured lightning breakdown voltage was studied and the 1% lightning withstand voltage was obtained based on Weibull distribution fitting on the cumulative probability plot built up using the approximately 1000 impulse shots. As for strongly non-uniform field study, streamer propagation and breakdown event in ester liquids either with or without pressboard interface were investigated at various gap distances under both positive and negative lightning impulse voltages. A relationship between the results under lightning impulse and previously published results under step voltage was built up to predict the lightning breakdown voltage of ester liquids at very large gaps. The results indicated that impulse strengths of ester liquids for both breakdown and withstand in a quasi-uniform field, are comparable to those of mineral oil. In a strongly non-uniform field, streamers in ester liquids propagate faster and further, than in mineral oil at the same voltage level. Thus breakdown voltages of ester liquids are generally lower than those of mineral oil, which could be as low as 40% at a large gap distance of approximately 1000 mm. Introduction of parallel pressboard interface has no influence on the streamer propagation and thus does not weaken the breakdown voltage, but it tends to reduce the acceleration voltage particularly for mineral oil under positive polarity. Last but not least, a unique phenomenon of secondary reverse streamer (SRS) was observed in ester liquids, which occurs subsequently and well after the extinction of the primary streamer (PS) propagation within a single shot of impulse voltage and has the reverse polarity to the PS. The formation mechanism of SRS is explained mainly due to the reverse electric field induced by the residual space charges left by the PS.

Neste trabalho estudamos o processo de deposição do filme de silício policristalino dopado com oxigênio (SIPOS) depositado por LPCVD, a partir da mistura entre a silana (SiH4) e o óxido nitroso (N2O); para a sua aplicação como camada de passivação superficial em dispositivos de potência. As características físicas e elétricas do filme SIPOS foram analisadas em função dos seguintes parâmetros de deposição: pressão, razão gasosa entre (N2O/SiH4), espaçamento entre as lâminas de processo, tempo para a formação de uma camada de pré-oxidação entre SIPOS-Si e tempo de processo. Observamos que o espaçamento entre as lâminas de processo é um importante parâmetro de processo, pois este influi diretamente na uniformidade em espessura e na concentração de oxigênio presente nos filmes depositados. A caracterização elétrica dos filmes SIPOS foi realizada através de capacitores MSS. Verificamos a validade do modelo sobre o comportamento da condutividade elétrica em função da proporção gasosa (N2O/SiH4) proposto por Ni e Arnold. Uma vez determinado as melhores condições de processo, os filmes SIPOS foram depositados sobre diodos de potência pré processados fornecidos pela AEGIS Semicondutores Ltda. Estes diodos foram então caracterizados quanto a sua tensão de ruptura reversa e a sua corrente de fuga reversa. Os histogramas dos dados experimentais mostraram que diminuindo-se o tempo para a formação de uma camada de pré-oxidação entre a interface SIPOS-Si, temos uma diminuição da corrente reversa que flui pelo filme SIPOS. Os diodos de potência fornecidos pela Aegis Semicondutores Ltda foram projetados para suportarem uma tensão de ruptura reversa de 650 V. Os diodos passivados com SIPOS suportaram tensões de ruptura de até 1.200 V. / In this work, the SIPOS (Semi-Insulating Polycrystalline Silicon) LPCVD deposition process was studied to be applied as passivation layer in power devices. It was used a mixture of silane and nitrous oxide to promote the deposition process. The physical and electrical characteristics were analyzed in function of the follow process parameters: total pressure, gas ratio (N2O/SiH4), distance between samples in the LPCVD wafer holder; pre oxidation time and total process time. It was observed that the distance between samples in the LPCVD wafer holder is direct related to the thickness uniformity and in the oxygen concentration present in the SIPOS thin films. MSS capacitors were fabricated to perform the electrical characterization of the deposited SIPOS films. The validity of the model proposed by Ni and Arnold, to the behavior of the electrical conductivity in function of gas ratio (N2O/SiH4), was confirmed. The SIPOS thin film was deposited over pre processed diodes samples, supplied by AEGIS Semicondutores Ltda, in the best process conditions obtained in the previous experiments. The behavior of the leakage current and the breakdown voltage were analyzed. The histograms of the breakdown voltage data showed that decreasing the pre oxidation time of the SIPOS-Si interface, the leakage current through the SIPOS films decreases. The power diodes supplied by Aegis Semicondutores Ltda was designed to support a breakdown voltage of 650 V. The power diodes passivated with SIPOS films supported a breakdown voltage up to 1200 V.

This research presents a novel microfabrication approach and testing methodology for cylindrical ion trap (CIT) microarray tunable for mass- spectrometers. The growing interest in cylindrical ion trap (CIT) mass-spectrometers is primarily due to ease with which cylindrical geometry can be realized as compared to hyperbolic surfaces found in conventional quadrupole ion traps. Also due to the fact that the potential at the center of hyperbolic electrode in quadrupole ion trap and cylindrical electrode in cylindrical ion trap (CIT) does not differ significantly[2]. Since the RF voltage required to eject a given mass-to-charge ion scales as the square of the ion trap radius, a decrease in ion trap dimensions provides a significant reduction in electronics requirements, thereby providing a pathway for overall system miniaturization. The reduction in sensitivity due to reduced ion storage capacity as a result of miniaturization can be improved by employing an array of identically sized ion traps. Microfabrication approach promises excellent uniformity in the fabrication of identically sized holes which in turn leads to low-cost high performance CIT microarray for mass spectrometers[1,2]. The criterion used for the determination of trap diameter was to ensure that the hole to be 1.09 times the wafer thickness to provide optimal potential to trap ions[1]. The end- plates were designed to optimize the electron and ion transmission into and out of the ion trap and provide a high quality electric field definition within each cylindrical ion trap (CIT)[3]. Two different approaches, namely deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and mechanical drilling using ultrasonic disc cutter were proposed and used for the fabrication of ring-electrode which forms the main body of the ion trap. Excellent uniformity in hole diameter was observed in both the approaches. The end-plates were fabricated using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) which provided high transmission rigid grid structure for ions and electrons. Standard Bosch process was used for deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). The two electrodes were metallized using electroless plating which provides excellent uniformity of coating even on end-plate structures with 5micro m through holes. CYTOP[trademark], a cyclized perfluoro polymer, was used as an insulation layer and intermediate bonding layer between the ring electrode and end-plates. The breakdown voltage for a released 16 micro m thick CYTOP[trademark] layer was found to be 1.47KV. An assembly for testing miniature cylindrical ion trap (CIT) was designed and built. An electron impact ionization source was used for generation of ions. Mass selective instability scan was used to selectively eject ions with different mass-to-charge ratio. A cylindrical ion trap (CIT) with 4mm diameter was fabricated and tested for analyte gases such as krypton and xenon.

Neste trabalho estudamos o processo de deposição do filme de silício policristalino dopado com oxigênio (SIPOS) depositado por LPCVD, a partir da mistura entre a silana (SiH4) e o óxido nitroso (N2O); para a sua aplicação como camada de passivação superficial em dispositivos de potência. As características físicas e elétricas do filme SIPOS foram analisadas em função dos seguintes parâmetros de deposição: pressão, razão gasosa entre (N2O/SiH4), espaçamento entre as lâminas de processo, tempo para a formação de uma camada de pré-oxidação entre SIPOS-Si e tempo de processo. Observamos que o espaçamento entre as lâminas de processo é um importante parâmetro de processo, pois este influi diretamente na uniformidade em espessura e na concentração de oxigênio presente nos filmes depositados. A caracterização elétrica dos filmes SIPOS foi realizada através de capacitores MSS. Verificamos a validade do modelo sobre o comportamento da condutividade elétrica em função da proporção gasosa (N2O/SiH4) proposto por Ni e Arnold. Uma vez determinado as melhores condições de processo, os filmes SIPOS foram depositados sobre diodos de potência pré processados fornecidos pela AEGIS Semicondutores Ltda. Estes diodos foram então caracterizados quanto a sua tensão de ruptura reversa e a sua corrente de fuga reversa. Os histogramas dos dados experimentais mostraram que diminuindo-se o tempo para a formação de uma camada de pré-oxidação entre a interface SIPOS-Si, temos uma diminuição da corrente reversa que flui pelo filme SIPOS. Os diodos de potência fornecidos pela Aegis Semicondutores Ltda foram projetados para suportarem uma tensão de ruptura reversa de 650 V. Os diodos passivados com SIPOS suportaram tensões de ruptura de até 1.200 V. / In this work, the SIPOS (Semi-Insulating Polycrystalline Silicon) LPCVD deposition process was studied to be applied as passivation layer in power devices. It was used a mixture of silane and nitrous oxide to promote the deposition process. The physical and electrical characteristics were analyzed in function of the follow process parameters: total pressure, gas ratio (N2O/SiH4), distance between samples in the LPCVD wafer holder; pre oxidation time and total process time. It was observed that the distance between samples in the LPCVD wafer holder is direct related to the thickness uniformity and in the oxygen concentration present in the SIPOS thin films. MSS capacitors were fabricated to perform the electrical characterization of the deposited SIPOS films. The validity of the model proposed by Ni and Arnold, to the behavior of the electrical conductivity in function of gas ratio (N2O/SiH4), was confirmed. The SIPOS thin film was deposited over pre processed diodes samples, supplied by AEGIS Semicondutores Ltda, in the best process conditions obtained in the previous experiments. The behavior of the leakage current and the breakdown voltage were analyzed. The histograms of the breakdown voltage data showed that decreasing the pre oxidation time of the SIPOS-Si interface, the leakage current through the SIPOS films decreases. The power diodes supplied by Aegis Semicondutores Ltda was designed to support a breakdown voltage of 650 V. The power diodes passivated with SIPOS films supported a breakdown voltage up to 1200 V.

Diese Dissertation widmet sich der Erfassung, Identifikation und Beschreibung von Entladungsprozessen, die an Überschlägen bei Blitzspannung auftreten. Es wird ein Messsystem entwickelt, welches die elektrischen und optischen Parameter der Entladungsprozesse an der Spitze-Spitze-Elektrodenanordnung bei standardisierter und oszillierender Blitzspannung mit hoher Empfindlichkeit und Synchronisationsgenauigkeit aufzeichnet. Mithilfe der Strommessungen und der fotografischen Aufzeichnungen von Entladungen können drei Phasen des Durchschlagprozesses identifiziert werden: In der Reihenfolge ihres Auftretens handelt es sich um die Streamerphase, die Kanalübergangsphase und die Kanalbildungsphase. Diese Phasen werden für die standardisierte und oszillierende Blitzspannung aufgezeigt, wobei Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede herausgestellt werden. Anhand von statistischen Beschreibungen des Durchschlagverhaltens und des Entladungsverhaltens werden daraufhin Abhängigkeiten in den Entladungsprozessen abgeleitet. / This thesis is dedicated to the acquisition, identification and description of discharge processes, which occur under lightning impulse voltage. A measuring system has been developed that records the electrical and optical parameters of the discharge processes with a high sensitivity and synchronization accuracy on a rod-rod electrode arrangement under standardised and oscillated lightning impulse voltage. With the current measurements and the photographic records of discharges, three phases of the breakdown process can be identified. In order of their occurrence these are the streamer phase, the channel transition phase and the channel formation phase. These phases are shown for the standardised and oscillated lightning impulse voltage, whereby similarities and differences are presented in detail. Using statistical descriptions of the breakdown and the discharge behaviour, dependencies in the discharge process will be derived.