Experimental and Modeling Investigation of the Temperature Activation of TDDB in Galvanic Isolators Based on Polymeric Dielectrics

We report experimental evidence revealing a nonmonotonic temperature dependence of time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) in galvanic isolators based on polymeric dielectrics. In particular, the lifetime of the device under TDDB stress decreases when temperature rises from room temperature (RT) to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$100~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>C and then steeply increases above the latter temperature. This effect, which introduces a turnaround in the Arrhenius plot of device lifetime, is explained as a result of two competing processes leading to the weakening and strengthening of polymeric chains in the dielectric material, respectively. The proposed physical picture is further supported by a simple numerical model that allows to investigate the temperature dependence of TDDB in galvanic isolators based on polymeric dielectrics under various working conditions.