Research on electrostatic energy discharge methods for micro-initiators based on micro-gap gas discharge

Physical self-destruction of energetic microsystem driver chips is an important technical means to improve the security of information storage media. Micro-initiators in energetic microsystems are highly susceptible to false triggering by electrostatic discharge (ESD) and other environmental stimuli, which can cause unintended chip self-destruction. To mitigate this risk, this paper develops micro-scale gap gas breakdown control micro-modules (MGBCMs) with various structural designs. By connecting the MGBCM in parallel with the micro-initiator, a protective mechanism is established. When an ESD pulse excites the chip self-destruction unit, the MGBCM undergoes avalanche ionization, rapidly forming a plasma channel that provides a high-speed discharge path for the ESD energy. Through the electrostatic field simulation analysis of MGBCM, this paper concludes that: compared with the 3–9 μm gap gas breakdown control micromodules, the breakdown voltage threshold of the 2 μm gap can be reduced to 284.6 V, and the peak field emission current density can be increased to 12×10⁵A/m². This theoretical analysis demonstrates the feasibility of using MGBCM for the electrostatic conduction of micro-initiators. Through DC breakdown tests and standard ESD tests, it is found that for the 2 μm gap MGBCM: the threshold voltage of the single needle-plate structure is 252 V, with an error of 10.5 % compared to the theoretical calculation; the threshold voltage of the multi-tooth needle-plate structure is 214 V, and the transient overcurrent is 77.2 A. When configured in an array and connected in parallel with the micro-initiator, the MGBCM effectively suppresses the abnormal energy impacting the micro-initiator from 2083 μJ to 621 μJ, a reduction of 70.2 %. This suppression prevents functional failure or accidental activation of the chip self-destruction unit, significantly enhances its electrostatic safety, and demonstrates broad application potential.