Mass spectrometric studies of the electrical breakdown of thin polymer films

The composition of the neutral particles released during the electrical breakdown of 50-micron and 75-micron insulating films of the type used on spacecraft exteriors investigated experimentally using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer triggered by the breakdown event. The experimental apparatus is described in detail, and the results are presented in photographs. It is found that the particle flux from Teflon FEP and PFA films comprise mainly fluorocarbon fragments, some with mass 350 amu or greater, but the flux from Kapton oxygen-ion-beam treated Kapton, Tefzel, and Mylar comprises mainly molecules of mass 44 amu or less.