Release Time:2019-03-09  Hits:

Indexed by: Journal Article

Date of Publication: 2013-04-01

Journal: PHYSICS OF PLASMAS

Included Journals: EI、SCIE

Volume: 20

Issue: 4

ISSN: 1070-664X

Abstract: It was proposed in this paper that the homogeneity of the atmospheric pressure discharge driven by an ac power source could be improved by applying an auxiliary low-amplitude rf power source. To verify the idea, a two-dimensional fluid model then was applied to study the atmospheric discharges in helium driven by ac power, low-amplitude rf power, and combined ac and low-amplitude rf power, respectively. Simulation results confirmed that an auxiliary rf power could improve the homogeneity of a discharge driven by an ac power source. It was further found that there existed a threshold voltage of the rf power source leading to the transition from inhomogeneous to homogeneous discharge. As the frequency of the rf power source increased from 2 to 22 MHz, the magnitude of the threshold voltage dropped first rapidly and then to a constant value. When the frequency was over 13.56 MHz, the magnitude of the threshold voltage was smaller than one-sixth of the ac voltage amplitude under the simulated discharge parameters. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4799824]