Flexible Arrays of Ni/Polyimide/Cu Microplasma Devices with a Dielectric Barrier and Excimer Laser Ablated Microcavities

Abstract

Microcavity plasma devices with circular, crescent or, for example, trapezoidal cross-section microcavities (characteristic dimension d=30–100 µm), produced by excimer laser ablation and overcoated with a silicon nitride barrier film, have been fabricated in Ni/30 µm polyimide/3 µm Cu layered substrates. 12×12 arrays of devices with cylindrical microcavities 100 µm in diameter exhibit turn-on voltages of 255–270 Vrms for a Ne pressure of 700 Torr and a sinusoidal excitation voltage having a frequency of 5–20 kHz. All of the device designs explored to date operate in the abnormal glow region, and an increase of 15–20% in the ignition voltage for these arrays is observed when pd is raised from 4 to 5 Torr cm. Tests in which the arrays were intentionally damaged or photoablation parameters were altered from the optimal values show the microplasma devices to be extraordinarily robust and insensitive to the cross-sectional shape of the microcavity.