Selective modulation of plasma parameters in an atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge driven by sawtooth-type tailored voltage waveforms

Abstract

Tailored voltage waveforms, formed by a fundamental frequency waveform superimposed with higher harmonics, show promise in realizing independent control and optimization of plasma parameters in conventional atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge systems (DBDs). In this paper, a self-consistent fluid model developed by a semi-kinetic treatment of electrons is applied to study the dependency of the electron energy and density distributions on the number of applied higher harmonics, applied fundamental frequency, and contributions from secondary electron emission—in a DBD system driven by tailored voltage waveforms. The mechanisms for achieving selective control over the modulated parameters are proposed, which allow for optimal selection of applied parameters for various downstream applications. This work exhibits dual-advantages for its novelty in presenting practical methods to modulate atmospheric plasma parameters, while in-depth analysis and discussions reveal underlying theoretical principles for the modulation of plasma parameters in atmospheric pressure discharges driven by tailored voltage waveforms.