The dielectric lifetime and corresponding damage morphology of polycarbonate/poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PC/P(VDF-HFP)) layered systems are studied under constant direct current (DC) field. Melt blends of the two polymers are also considered for comparison. The dielectric lifetimes of the latter are systematically much shorter than the layered systems. The interfaces between the polymers act as flaws that induce up to two orders of magnitude difference between the layered and blend systems. The capacitance values versus time during breakdown progression exhibit an inversed S-shape pattern. The three regimes in the S-shape pattern are consecutively attributed to randomly isolated breakdowns, interconnecting breakdowns, and wearing-out of the capacitor film. The film breakdown images during dielectric lifetime test confirmed the transition from randomly isolated breakdowns to interconnecting breakdowns. This transition was further evidenced by a bimodal distribution in the Weibull analysis. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012