The Taming of the Electron: A Story of Electric Charge and Discharge for Lighting and Electronics

What is electric charge and the force that makes like and opposite charge attract? The resulting release of energy is the electric breakdown that can cause damage or can be controlled and utilized. What is the electron and how is the force it exerts as negative charge carried through space? Benjamin Franklin pondered the first questions. Twentieth century particle physicists have made strides in answering the second. A better understanding of electric breakdown has led to means to prevent damage from lightning in the sky, from damage appearing as trees in cable insulation and from excessive currents in MOS transistors. Electric breakdown as gas discharge and as solid-state discharge in high-intensity-discharge lamps and in electroluminescent displays, respectively, has been utilized to produce light. Answers to the questions, the state of understanding of electric breakdown and the problems solved to manufacture sources of light are presented in this history for electrical engineers, physicists and anyone with an interest in and understanding of the basic physics of electricity..