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← ScienceWhich process initiates an insulator’s breakdown at high electric field?
A)Zener tunneling through bandgap✓
B)Ohmic heating excites phonons
C)Capacitive leakage discharges stored energy
D)Electromigration causes local shorts
💡 Explanation
An insulator breaks down via Zener tunneling because electrons quantum mechanically tunnel through the bandgap, transitioning from the valence band to the conduction band at high electric fields. Therefore, a current is created, rather than breakdown caused by heat or migration.
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