# The stochastic growth of metal whiskers

## TL;DR

This paper presents a probabilistic theory explaining the intermittent growth of metal whiskers caused by local energy barriers from surface imperfections, aiding in reliability prediction.

## Contribution

It introduces a new stochastic model for metal whisker growth, linking local electric field variations to growth intermittency and providing distribution of stopping times.

## Key findings

- Distribution of MW stopping times derived
- Intermittent growth explained by energy barriers
- Model improves reliability forecasting

## Abstract

The phenomenon of spontaneously growing metal whiskers (MW) raises significant reliability concerns due to its related arcing and shorting in electric equipment. The growth kinetics of MW remains poorly predictable. Here we present a theory describing the earlier observed intermittent growth of MW as caused by local energy barriers related to variations in the random electric fields generated by surface imperfections. We find the probabilistic distribution of MW stopping times, during which MW growth halts, which is important for reliability projections.