Low current arc modes of short length and time: a review

Rieder, W.

doi:10.1109/6144.846766

Cited by 38 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This is the case of MEMS switches that normally operate under low currents and a voltage well below the material ionization voltage, so fine transfer may apply. However this mechanism has been re-discussed by Slade [2] and Rieder [21] has shown that unstable micro-arcs could appear even under non-arc test conditions. Moreover if this fine transfer was at the origins of the observed material transfer, the transfer direction would be from the cathode to the anode i.e.…”

Section: Review Of Materials Transfer Phenomenamentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In a switch, arcing can appear between contact electrodes during either contact opening or closing according to certain conditions. Contact opening under current is characterized by a molten bridge between the two contact electrodes that elongates until its rupture or explosion due to heat effects or vaporization [21]. During this explosion, molten metal droplets are ejected and metallic vapors released by the contact electrodes.…”

Section: Review Of Materials Transfer Phenomenamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Nano-Scale Investigation of Material Transfer Phenomena at Make in a MEMS Switch

Poulain

Peschot

Vincent

et al. 2011

2011 IEEE 57th Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts (Holm)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

MEMS switches have considerably improved over the last decade, however their lack of reliability remains a weak point for a large scale production. The main limiting factor comes from the electrical contacts. In particular, material transfer at the nano-scale is of significant importance in terms of performance and lifetime, however the existing literature remains rather limited. In this paper we present original experiments carried out in air using a modified atomic force microscope (AFM) equipped with a tipless conductive cantilever representing the mobile contact. The fixed contact is composed of a Si substrate covered with the metal of interest (Au, Ru or Pt). The experimental setup is configured to perform successive commutations at extremely low closing/opening speeds of about 10nm/s. This study focuses on the closing sequence under 5V DC, the current being limited to 1mA. The results show a sudden current increase when the contact gap becomes smaller than a few tens of nanometers. This emission of electrons from the cathode tends to follow the Fowler-Nordheim theory and leads to the damage of the opposite contact member (anode) thus causing, by impact heating, the evaporation of the anode material and its deposition on the opposite contact member (cathode). A material transfer from anode to cathode can then be observed and explained.

show abstract

Section: Review Of Materials Transfer Phenomenamentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Review Of Materials Transfer Phenomenamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Nano-Scale Investigation of Material Transfer Phenomena at Make in a MEMS Switch

Poulain

Peschot

Vincent

et al. 2011

2011 IEEE 57th Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts (Holm)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…That was thought to be the case up to about the mid 1940's, but has been accepted as not significant since the end of the 1950's, as mentioned in [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…First, it is known that several arc stages are developing as contacts separate during a bounce [12]. The material transfer is from the anode to the cathode in the beginning and at the end of the bounce when the contact gap is short and the arc is in the anodic stage [13].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Switching Contact Bounce Reduction

Ciocirlan

Herrmann²

2009

2009 Proceedings of the 55th IEEE Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of arcing in medium power relays and switches have been extensively reported in the literature. Repeated breaking and remaking of the electrical connection during bouncing at each contact closure generates multiple arcs that cause damage to the contacts, as well as other effects. Reduction of closure bounce is thus expected to alleviate these effects improving the life and switching energy capability of switching contacts. We propose a novel and cost-effective solution to the bounce problem that employs eccentric impact principles to enhance contact behavior during closure. The new concept was proven for a commercial electromechanical relay and showed 49% reduction in the number of bounces and 94% reduction in contact separation time during bouncing. Preliminary cycle testing was also performed to determine the effectiveness of the proposed method to improve the life of the contacts. Despite the significant reduction in bounce, only a marginal improvement in contact damage was realized. Several possible explanations have been proposed, but more work is required to identify the reason for the unexpected results.

show abstract

“…Three of them cause net transfer from the anode to the cathode, the other three in the opposite direction [19]. The transfer of the initial modes are most effective and therefore very important in spite of their short duration.…”

Section: Aspects Regarding Materials Transfermentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences for automotive relays of a 42 VDC power network in vehicles

Schoepf

Rieder²

2000

IEEE Trans. Comp. Packag. Technol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because of the increasing demand of electrical power in automotive vehicles the car manufacturers have decided worldwide to increase the nominal voltage of the automobile power network from 14 VDC to 42 VDC. Surveying the fundamentals of arc physics the authors show why this decision requires more extensive adaptations of the respective electromechanical switches than might be expected from a change by a factor three.Means to solve the problem are discussed.Index Terms-AC-and dc-interruption, arc, arc characteristic, automotive relays, 42 V power network, load limit curve.

show abstract

Low current arc modes of short length and time: a review

Cited by 38 publications

References 39 publications

A Nano-Scale Investigation of Material Transfer Phenomena at Make in a MEMS Switch

A Nano-Scale Investigation of Material Transfer Phenomena at Make in a MEMS Switch

Switching Contact Bounce Reduction

Consequences for automotive relays of a 42 VDC power network in vehicles

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About