A large-area diffuse air discharge plasma excited by nanosecond pulse under a double hexagon needle-array electrode

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Electrical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Atmospheric pressure plasma generation is crucial for various applications.
• Controlling diffuse discharge characteristics is essential for uniform plasma treatment.
• Nanosecond pulsed discharges offer unique advantages in plasma generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate and characterize large-area diffuse air discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure.
• To investigate the influence of pulse parameters on plasma properties.
• To determine the scalability of the generated plasma for surface treatment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a double hexagon needle-array electrode configuration.
• Excited plasma using bipolar nanosecond pulses.
• Analyzed electrical characteristics (voltage, current) and optical emission spectra.
• Estimated electron density, electron temperature, rotational, and vibrational temperatures.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated large-area diffuse air discharge plasma (70x50 mm²).
• Determined plasma properties including electron density (1.42×10¹¹ cm⁻³) and electron temperature (4.4 eV).
• Investigated the effect of pulse peak voltage and repetition rate on plasma temperatures.
• Demonstrated the scalability of the plasma discharge.

Conclusions:

• The double hexagon needle-array electrode effectively generates large-area diffuse air discharge plasma.
• Plasma characteristics are tunable via pulse parameters, offering control for applications.
• The scalable nature of this plasma system makes it suitable for industrial surface modification.