Ignition Delay for Atmospheric Pressure Microplasmas

Published in:
Contrib. Plasma Phys., vol. 49, no. 1-2, pp. 21-26 (2009).
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Abstract:
The ignition process in microplasmas is characterized by time resolved microwave reflection coefficient measurements, using a specially equipped vector network analyzer. We measured the time between the switching on of the microwave power and the onset of the plasma state in air at atmospheric pressures. The delay time decreases from approx. 3 ms to 60 µs by increasing the microwave power from values just above the ignition threshold to higher values. A simple model shows the role of the free electrons in air and of the electrodes in the ignition process.

PACS:
52.40.Db, 52.80.Pi, 52.75.Hn

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