OPTIMAL DIMENSIONING OF COMPONENTS FOR A HIGH VOLTAGE FEEDTHROUGH

The design of high voltage feedthrough components needs to satisfy mutually contradictory requirements. Selected geometries, dimensions, and materials of a high voltage feedthrough need to prevent voltage breakdown under worst case conditions, while size and weight are often constrained. The compact size requirement is less important in massive systems (distribution of electric energy), but it becomes critical with requirements of limited space and/or low mass. Both constraints, on size and weight, are crucial in RF power delivery systems for plasma processing in the semiconductor industry and in satellite-mounted instruments for space exploration, such as instruments for solar wind measurements. Expressions for optimal dimension­ ing of a high voltage feedthrough are derived in this paper for the case of delivering RF energy to a plasma chamber via an impedance matching network. Derived geometries and expressions are useful in design of high voltage feedthrougs in RF and other engineering areas (instruments for space explora­ tion, instruments for high-energy physics experiments, X ray systems, systems for distribution of electric energy).