Gas Discharge Properties of Inverse-Brush-Electrodes Driven by Alternating Current

Abstract

The inverse-brush-electrodes (IBE) structure with a large area is designed to investigate the discharge mechanism driven by alternating current (ac). It is found that the IBE structure increases the number of secondary electrons and reduces the breakdown voltage by comparing the discharge processes of IBE and plate electrodes. Meanwhile, the breakdown mechanism of gas discharge driven by ac is analyzed in detail. Additionally, the designed IBE structure has a negative differential conductivity enhancement effect than that of plate electrodes when plasmas are generated in the heavy noble gas. Finally, the negative differential conductivity enhancement phenomenon of the IBE structure is analyzed by experiments and simulations. This effect originates from the non-equilibrium electron energy distribution function (EEDF), which is due to the more suprathermal electrons generated by the IBE structure.

Impact of the electrode structure on post‐cathode plasma in the grid electrode DC glow discharge

“…The low-temperature post-cathode plasma generated by the grid electrode discharge has the characteristics of uniformity, stability, and large scale. [1][2][3][4][5] Large-area and low-temperature plasma generated by the grid electrode structure discharge cannot only be applied in some unique industrial productions, such as large-area material surface treatment, [6,7] but also in investigating the plasma stealth technology [8,9] or space plasma study. [10][11][12] Henry M. Musal first proposed the inverse brush electrode in 1966.…”