Townsend’s Current Growth

Equation and First Ionization

Coefficient
Lec # 04
Introduction
• In the absence of electric field the rate of electron and positive ion
generation in an ordinary gas is counterbalanced by decay processes
and a state of equilibrium exists.

• This state of equilibrium will be upset upon the application of a

sufficiently high field.

• The variation of the gas current measured between two parallel plate
electrodes was first studied as a function of the applied voltage by
Townsend.
Townsend’s Current Growth Equation
• Townsend found that the current at first increased proportionately
with the applied voltage and then remained nearly constant at a value
i0.

• i0 corresponded to the background current (saturation current), or if

the cathode was irradiated with a u.v. light, i0 gave the emitted
photocurrent.

• At still higher voltage the current increased above the value i0 at an

exponential rate.
 • The general pattern of the current–voltage relationship is shown
schematically in Figures below.

The variation of the gas current measured between two parallel plate electrodes
as a function of the applied voltage by Townsend.
Townsend’s CGE (cont.)
• The increase in current beyond V2 Townsend ascribed to ionization of
the gas by electron collision.

• As the field increases, electrons leaving the cathode are accelerated

more and more between collisions until they gain enough energy to
cause ionization on collision with gas molecules or atoms.

• To explain this current increase, Townsend introduced a quantity α,

known as Townsend’s first ionization coefficient, defined as the
number of electrons produced by an electron per unit length of path
in the direction of the field.
Townsend’s CGE (cont.)
• Let no be the number of electrons leaving the cathode and when these
have moved through a distance x from the cathode, these become n.
Now when these n electrons move through a distance dx produce
additional dn electrons due to collision.
 Based on above definition it is clear that during the movement
Townsend’s CGE (cont.)
of n electrons over a distance dx, dn new electrons are freed
(also dn positive ions are formed), such that
Townsend’s CGE (cont.)
• Equation is known as Townsend’s current growth equation due to
primary ionization or Townsend’s discharge or Townsend’s avalanche.

• The term eαd is called electron avalanche (visualized on next slide)

and it represents number of electrons produced by one electron in
travelling from cathode to anode.

• Townsend’s first ionization coefficient α is dependent on E/p, where E

is the electric field with the gaseous medium and p is the pressure of
the gas.
Time lags for breakdown
• The mechanism of spark breakdown is considered as a function of
ionization under uniform field conditions.

• There is a time difference between the application of a voltage

sufficient to cause breakdown and the occurrence of breakdown
itself.

• This called the time lag, which can not be justified through current
growth equation.
Numerical
In an experiment, in a certain gas it was found the
8
steady state current is 5 10 A at 8 kV at a certain
distance of 0.4 cm between the plane electrodes.
Keeping the field constant and reducing the distance to
9
0.1 cm results in current of 5 10 A. Find Townsend’s
primary ionization coefficient.
Data: I1
 e ( d1  d2 )
I2

Putting values in above equation

5.5 108  (0.4  0.1)

 e
Solution 5.5 109
 (0.3)
Now equation becomes 10  e

Taking ln to both sides ln10  0.3

 d1
I Io e   7.6752 ionizing collisions / cm
 eq 1 with2
Dividing
1
I2 Io e d2
Limitations or Drawbacks of Townsend's Theory of Breakdown
1. Townsend stated that breakdown is due to current growth and current growth is due to primary and
secondary ionization (α and γ) But in practice, breakdown is also dependent on gas pressure (P) and gap
distance (d) [breakdown voltage = f ( p x d) as per Paschens law].

2. This mechanism predicts time lag is of the order of 10-5 sec while actual breakdown occurs in very short
time i.e. 10-8 sec.

3. Townsend predicted diffused and regular form of discharge while actual discharge is irregular and
filamentary.

Remedies
As Townsend failed to explain all these observed phenomenon, around 1940 Raether, Meek and Loeb
proposed a theory called as Streamer theory.
• ELECTRON AVALANCHE: It is a process in which a number of free
electrons in a gaseous medium are subjected to strong acceleration
by an electric field, ionising the medium’s atoms by collision (impact
ionisation) releasing additional electrons which are themselves
accelerated and collides with further atoms, releasing more electrons
in a chain reaction. The result is the affected region of gas becomes
plasma making it electrically conductive.xdw
THANKS