Study of Characteristics of the Cold Atmospheric Plasma Source Based on a Piezo Transformer

Abstract

In this paper, we study a compact source of low-temperature cold atmospheric plasma based on a piezoelectric transformer used as a high-voltage source. This device can produce a direct piezo-discharge in the atmosphere, a classical dielectric barrier discharge, and a discharge in a noble gas flow. We have estimated the rotational and vibrational temperatures of the N2 ions and the electron temperature in the discharge from the emission spectra for different modes of source operation. When the source operated with loads of two types (metal and liquid loads), the electric field strength distribution near the discharge gap was measured with a probe operating on the basis of the Pockels effect. The possibility of application of this device for electromagnetic field impact on biological objects and plasma-activated media is discussed.