Pulsed DBD at atmospheric pressure

Abstract

Summary form only given. Dielectric Barrier Discharges (DBDs) are traditionally driven by sinewave voltages with magnitudes in the kV range and frequencies in the kHz range. Depending on the operating parameters, DBDs can generate either filamentary or diffuse plasmas. Both types of discharge have been found useful for a variety of applications, such as ozone generation, VUV radiation sources, and biological sterilization. To improve the energy transfer efficiency, pulsed voltages with sub-microsecond pulse rise and fall times have been proposed by several investigators. Liu and Neiger have shown that at low pressure, two discharges are ignited per pulse. One at the rising edge and a second discharge at the falling edge of the pulse. Here, we report experimental and simulation results showing that a similar mechanism occurs for a DBD run at atmospheric pressure. Current measurements show two narrow current pulses, a positive one at the rising edge and a negative one at the falling edge of the voltage pulse. The negative current pulse is caused by the voltage induced by the charge accumulation on the dielectrics during the first current pulse. These current pulses have peaks of few amperes and are about 100 ns wide. In this paper, the influence of the pulse width, the repetition rate, gas mixture, gap width etc. on the discharge parameters and uniformity will be reported and discussed.