Chris said:
Greetings:
I have heard the term "creep" a lot, and wonder what it means, usually
coming from women.
:-D
Just kidding.
Seriously, in the context of electronics, I think it has something to do
with slow dielectric breakdown over time. But I'm guessing.
Please educate.
Thanks.
--
_____________________
Christopher R. Carlen
[email protected]
Suse 8.1 Linux 2.4.19
It refers to conduction over the surface of an insulator. It is much
easier for charge to migrate over an insulating surface (under some
conditions, especially high humidity) than it is for it to pass
through the insulator. Often used in terms of creep distance for high
voltage rating. The creep distance between two points on an insulator
can be increased by making the surface undulate. The breakdown
directly between two points is referred to as a strike, so the direct
arc distance (through air, rather than along the surface undulations)
is the strike distance. Many times, the creep distance between two
conductors on a circuit board is not big enough, even though the
strike distance is. In those cases, the creep distance is often made
larger by routing a slot between the two conductors. You see this a
lot in direct line voltage switching power supplies and on monitor
boards that produce the high voltages for the CRT.