Low-Voltage Atmospheric-Plasma Generation by Utilizing Afterglow Initiation Carrier

Low-voltage atmospheric-plasma generation is reported, in which the breakdown voltage is significantly reduced by utilizing afterglow ions generated on integrated electrodes. Using micromachining techniques, a microanode and two microcathodes were integrated on a glass substrate. Atmospheric glow discharge was first generated in the narrow gap of 10 mu m, and the resulting afterglow ions were utilized as an initiation carrier in a subsequent discharge induced in the wide gap of 270 mu m. In the presence of the initiation carrier, the atmospheric glow discharge was generated at a substantially low voltage. The feasibility of the proposed generation scheme as an efficient compact plasma source is also evaluated.