Arrays of atmospheric pressure microplasma jets: He/O2 and Ar jets into air

摘要

Atmospheric-pressure microplasma jets are finding increasing use in biomedical applications to controllably deliver radical fluxes to tissue. A typical plasma jet consists of a capillary tube having a diameter of less than a few mm through which noble gases or mixtures with a molecular gas flow. An electrode, excited using sinusoidal or high-voltage pulses, produces a plasma in the flowing gas, resulting in a luminous plume that extends for up to several cm. Plasma plumes are formed by propagation of ionization waves (IWs) through the tubes and then through the gas phase channel formed by the noble gas injected into the surrounding air. The luminous fronts of the IWs have been termed plasma bullets. For plasma jets having a single aperture, the plasma plume covers only a few mm