EMC and failure mode issues in dielectrics: An update

Electrical breakdown has been of interest in the areas of energy storage in dielectrics and the aging of capacitors and insulators for a long time. More recently, however, the generation of electromagnetic fields in the external environment by the breakdown process has been receiving attention because of the increased susceptibility of microelectronic components (e.g., VLSI) to unwanted electromagnetic fields. In this presentation Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) issues in modern high-density electronics are addressed through a new theory that seeks to explain that sudden energy releases are possible, even in powered-down states of systems, which could create erroneous or misleading internal signals in such systems. This theory introduces the concept of localized stored energy at defects within insulating and semi-insulating materials that make up modern electronics. Experimental validation of these effects, just recently demonstrated, will be presented in the context of this, work in progress.