Atmospheric-pressure argon/oxygen plasma-discharge source with a stepped electrode

Abstract

The nonequilibrium glow discharge in argon mixed with oxygen at atmospheric pressure was generated in a parallel plate reactor with a stepped electrode powered by a 13.56MHz radio-frequency power supplier. The stepped-electrode reactor consists of a narrow and wide gap structure. A strong electric field occurred at the narrow gap region preionizes Ar∕O2 gas and assists to generate a large volumetric plasma in the wide gap region. Therefore, the stepped-electrode reactor makes it easy to operate Ar∕O2 glow discharge, providing a stable, uniform, and broad plasma jet at atmospheric pressure.