Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a key consideration in electronics design and reliability. In this demo, available in the software examples, a parallel plate capacitor is created to demonstrate the ESD simulation workflow in Ansys Charge Plus. The process includes defining the geometry, configuring the simulation domain, setting up the current source and arcing region, and placing analysis probes. By the end, the simulation results are displayed, and the ESD behavior is visualized.
Simulation Workflow:
1- Geometry Creation
First, we create the top and bottom electrodes, as shown below:
2- Material Definition
An Isotropic material is created to simulate a highly conductive material.
3- Domain Initialization
The domain boundary fully encapsulates the model. When the domain is first defined, it automatically surrounds it. The Mur 1 H-Field boundary condition is essential, as the current source will be placed perpendicular to the boundary. The Mur 1 H-Field boundary absorbs any radiated fields from the current source.
4- Current Source Setup
Current sources are assigned to wire geometries. After creating the wire geometry, excitation is defined, followed by specifying waveforms.
5- Breakdown Region Definition
The Breakdown Region defines a nonlinear air environment for a localized region and/or time frame within the simulation domain.
6- Voltage and Animation Probes Setup
Two probes are defined to gather data during the simulation. First, a voltage probe is created, followed by the definition of an animation probe.
Voltage probe:
Animation probe:
7- Meshing and Running the Simulation
Once the model is meshed and the simulation is run, the probe results are displayed as shown below. Around 32 nanoseconds, a sharp voltage change occurs, caused by the air breakdown between the electrodes.
You can find the demonstration below, and the model shown is available in the downloadable resources.
Downloadable Resources
Paschen Test Demo
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