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Abstract-The development of high-voltage semiconductor devices has been hampered by the occurrence of flashover at the surface of the semiconductor. The physical mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are not understood. We present new empirical information which clarifies the processes responsible for surface flashover in a vacuum ambient by showing clearly that in flashover current flows primarily inside the semiconductor surface rather than in the ambient. This observation is in fundamental disagreement with the standard model for vacuum flashover of insulator surfaces.

Semiconductors such as silicon and GaAs appear attractive for use in high voltage devices because of their high bulk dielectric strength. Typically, however, such devices fail at a voltage well below that expected due to a poorly understood, surface-related breakdown process. In this letter we present empirical results which show that such breakdown of long silicon p+-i-n+ devices can be inhibited by the application of weak visible or near-infrared illumination. These results suggest a technique for avoiding surface flashover in practical high voltage devices, and provide information about the physical mechanisms responsible for initiating flashover.

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