TOWNSEND SECOND IONIZATON

COEFFICIENT AND CRITERIAN

FOR BREAKDOWN IN GASES
NOORNABI SHAIKH
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
MUET, JAMSHORO
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 2
Current Growth In The Presence of Secondary
Processes (Cathode Processes)
The single avalanche process becomes complete when the
initial set of electrons reaches the anode.
Electrodes, in particular the cathode, play a very important role in
gas discharges by supplying electrons for the initiation, sustaining and
completion of a discharge.

Under normal conditions electrons are prevented from leaving the
solid electrode by the electrostatic forces between the electrons and
the ions in the lattice.
The energy required to remove an electron
from a Fermi level is known as the work
function W
a
and is a characteristic of a given
material.
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 3
There are several ways in which the required energy may be
supplied to release the electrons.
1. Photoelectric emission: The excited atoms or molecules in avalanches
may emit photons, and this will lead to the emission of electrons due
to photo-emission.

2. Electron emission by positive ion and excited atom impact: The
positive ions liberated may have sufficient energy to cause liberation
of electrons from the cathode when they impose on it.

3. Thermonic emission: In metals at room temperature the conduction
electrons will not leave the surface. But gas electrons at room
temperature have their average thermal energy much lower than the
work function (W
a
). If, the metal temperature increased to some
15002500 K, the electrons will receive energy from the violent
thermal lattice vibrations sufficient to cross the surface barrier and
leave the metal.
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 4
4. Field emission: Electrons may be drawn out of a metal surface by
very high electrostatic fields.

The fields required to produce emission currents of a few
microamperes are of the order of 10
7
10
8
V/cm. Such fields are
observed at fine wires, sharp points and submicroscopic
irregularities with an average applied voltage quite low (25 kV).
These fields are much higher than the breakdown stress even in
compressed gases.
NOTE
The electrons produced by these processes are called secondary
electrons.
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 5
Townsend second ionization coefficient
According to equation ) 1 ( . . . . =
d
o
e I I

A graph of log I against gap length should yield a straight line of
slope if for a given pressure of p, E is kept constant.
Townsend observed that at higher
voltages the current increased at a
more rapid rate than given by
equation(1).

Figure shows the kind of curves
obtained by plotting log I against
electrode separation at a constant
pressure.
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 6
He first considered liberation of electrons in the gas by collision of
positive ions.

Later the liberation of electrons from the cathode by positive ion
bombardment. [both mechanisms already discussed]
To explain this exit from linearity at higher voltages, Townsend
suggested a secondary mechanism must be effecting the
current.
On above assumptions, he deduced the equation for the current in the
self sustaining discharge.
Other processes responsible for up curving of the (log I d) refer
figure, include the secondary electron emission at the cathode by
photon impact and photoionization in the gas itself.
Townsends procedure for self sustained discharge, where the
electrons are produced at the cathode by positive ion bombardment.
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 7
) 3 ( . . . .
-
) - (
=
was expression original s Townsend'
) 2 ( . . . .
) 1 - ( - 1
=
current state steady for Or
) 1 - ( - 1
=
g Eliminatin
] ) + ( - [ =
) + ( =
ion. positive incident per cathode the from released electrons of number =
t bombardmen ion positive by cathode from released electrons of number =
on illuminati t ultraviole (say) by athode c the from emitted electrons of number =
second per anode the reaching electrons of number =
) - (
) - (
+
+
+ +
+
+
d
d
O
d
d
O
d
d
o
o
d
o
o
e
e
I I
e
e I
I
e
e n
n
n
n n n n
And
e n n n
Then
n
n
n Let

Where represents the number of ion

pairs produced by a positive ion
travelling a 1-cm path in the field
direction and , d, I and I
o
have the same
significance as in eqn (2).
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 8
NOTE
Townsends original suggestion for secondary ionization in the gas by
positive ion impact does not work, because ions rapidly lose energy
in elastic collisions and ordinarily are unable to gain sufficient energy
from the field to cause ionization on collision with neutral atoms or
molecules.
H.W
Discuss in detail classical gas laws
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 9
ELECTRIC BREAKDOWN IN GASES
Townsend Criterion for a Spark / Breakdown
As the applied voltage increases across a spark gap, the current
increases in accordance with the equation.
) 1 - ( - 1
=
d
d
O
e
e
I I

At some potential a sudden transition from Townsend dark current to

a self-sustaining discharge.
This transition or spark is accompanied by a sudden change in the
current in the gap and current I becomes indeterminate and
denominator of the above equation vanishes, i.e.
1 >>
1 =
1 = ) 1 - (
d
d
d
e Since
e ely approximat Or
e

Theoretically I become infinitely large, but in practice limited by the

external circuit.
N.N.SHAIKH/TSIC 10
Townsend defined this condition as the onset of spark. Loeb
explained the Townsend criterion for the spark / breakdown in
the following way:
a. For the discharge current I is not self maintained, i.e.
removing the source producing the primary current I
O
which ceases
to flow.

1 <
d
e

b. For sufficiently large avalanche is produced, resulting

positive ions bombarding the cathode to release one secondary
electron and so cause a repetition of the avalanche process. The
discharge is then self sustaining and can continue in the absence
of the source. Therefore this condition can be said the sparking
threshold.
1 =
d
e

a. For the ionization produced by successive avalanches is

cumulative. The spark discharge grows more rapidly as exceed
unity.

1 >
d
e

d
e