Review and Mechanism of the Thickness Effect of Solid Dielectrics

The thickness effect of solid dielectrics means the relation between the electric breakdown strength (E(BD)) and the dielectric thickness (d). By reviewing different types of expressions of E(BD) on d, it is found that the minus power relation (E(BD) = E(1)d (−a)) is supported by plenty of experimental results. The physical mechanism responsible for the minus power relation of the thickness effect is reviewed and improved. In addition, it is found that the physical meaning of the power exponent a is approximately the relative standard error of the E(BD) distributions in perspective of the Weibull distribution. In the end, the factors influencing the power exponent a are discussed.