The influences of the electrode dimension and the dielectric material on the breakdown characteristics of coplanar dielectric barrier discharge in ambient air

Abstract

The influences of the angle of the V‐shaped electrode, the interelectrode distance, the thickness and the types of dielectric plate on the breakdown characteristics of air coplanar dielectric barrier discharge are investigated. When the angle of the electrode increases, the ignition voltage surprisingly decreases, while both the discharge current, and plasma area remain constant. With smaller interelectrode distance or thinner dielectric plate, lower ignition voltage is required. However, if either one of the them exceeds the threshold value, the discharge mode transits from steady to stochastic. In addition, the discharge appearance in the case of alumina is visually more diffuse with respect to the cases of mica and quartz, which may be caused by the surface charges with high density.