Computation of electro-thermal breakdown of polymer films

Development of new polymer films is impeded by the need to make large quantities of high quality film for prototype devices. However, DC breakdown should be predictable from material electrothermal properties, i.e., field and temperature dependent electrical conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and boundary conditions. Transient nonlinear finite element analysis readily predicts thermal runaway of a polymer film between metal electrodes. In this contribution, we evaluate analytical approaches to this problem in the context of laboratory testing between metal electrodes. The objective is to predict approximate limits to device performance as a function of electric field and temperature from measurements on prototype materials.