AC GLOW PLASMA DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING AN ELECTRODE COVERED WITH APERTURED DIELECTRIC

摘要

An apparatus and method for stabilizing a glow plasma discharge by suppressing glow-arc transitions comprises a dielectric plate having a porous or open configuration, the dielectric plate having one or more holes extending from the top and bottom surfaces and the dielectric plate . The porous dielectric plate 130 is constructed on the cathode 120. Each hole acts as a separate actuation current limiting microchannel that prevents the total current density from increasing above the threshold for glow-arc transitions. This includes variable DC and RF fields in a wide range of electric fields, allowing stable glow discharges to be maintained over a wide range of operating pressures. In another embodiment, the device is configured as an AC glow plasma discharge device, and the dielectric on which the openings are formed is configured on the electrode. The dielectric formed by the openings may have at least one opening or capillary tube extending through the dielectric