Electronic breakdown
L. A. Dissado, J.C. Fothergill · Institution of Engineering and Technology eBooks · 1992
In this chapter the electric breakdown mechanism in polymers is discussed. In electronic breakdown the field causes either the number or the energy of the electrons to reach unstable magnitudes such that they rise catastrophically. Polymers generally shows intrinsic and Avalanche breakdown. Another type of breakdown generally shown by semiconductor p-n junctions is Zener or field-emission breakdown in which electrons are excited at high rate from valence to conduction band thereby enhancing conductivity.