skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Characterization of chemical contaminants and their spectral properties from an atmospheric pressure ns-pulsed microdischarge in neon

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4977448· OSTI ID:1356220

Portable applications of microdischarges, such as the remediation of gaseous wastes or the destruction of volatile organic compounds, will mandate operation in the presence of contaminant species. This paper examines the temporal evolution of microdischarge optical and ultraviolet emissions during pulsed operation by experimental methods. By varying the pulse length of a microdischarge initiated in a 4-hole silicon microcavity array operating in a 655 Torr ambient primarily composed of Ne, we were able to measure the emission growth rates for different contaminant species native to the discharge environment as a function of pulse length. It was found that emission from hydrogen and oxygen impurities demonstrated similar rates of change, while emissions from molecular and atomic nitrogen, measured at 337.1 and 120 nm, respectively, exhibited the lowest rate of change. We conclude that it is likely that O2 undergoes the same resonant energy transfer process between rare gas excimers that has been shown for H2. Further, efficient resonant processes were found to be favored during ignition and extinction phases of the pulse, while emission at the 337.1 nm line from N2 was favored during the intermediate stage of the plasma. In addition to the experimental results, a zero-dimensional analysis is also presented to further understand the nature of the microdischarge.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
1356220
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1349535
Report Number(s):
SAND-2016-9770J; 647882
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 24, Issue 3; ISSN 1070-664X
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 3 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (50)

Cross Sections for Electron Collisions with Nitrogen Molecules journal March 2006
B -spline R -matrix-with-pseudostates calculations for electron-impact excitation and ionization of nitrogen journal June 2014
Proof and analysis of the pendulum motion of beam electrons in a hollow cathode discharge journal May 2001
Cross Sections for Electron Collisions with Oxygen Molecules journal March 2009
Non-Thermal Plasma Techniques for Pollution Control book
Large-scale pseudostate calculations for electron scattering from neon atoms journal June 2012
Franck–Condon Factors, r ‐Centroids, Electronic Transition Moments, and Einstein Coefficients for Many Nitrogen and Oxygen Band Systems journal September 1992
Microplasmas and applications journal January 2006
Microplasmas, an emerging field of low-temperature plasma science and technology journal February 2006
Dynamics of a coplanar-electrode plasma display panel cell. I. Basic operation journal April 1999
Xenon excimer emission from pulsed microhollow cathode discharges journal August 2001
Quenching rate constants for Ne3P2) metastable atoms at room temperature journal April 1978
Collisional and radiative processes in high-pressure discharge plasmas journal May 2002
A capacitively coupled microplasma (CCµP) formed in a channel in a quartz wafer journal January 2001
Study of dc micro-discharge arrays made in silicon using CMOS compatible technology journal June 2012
Excitation Mechanisms of the Nitrogen Frist‐Positive and First‐Negative Radiation at High Temperature journal February 1972
Lyman-alpha emission via resonant energy transfer journal October 1998
Ground and excited states of Ne 2 and Ne2+. I. Potential curves with and without spin‐orbit coupling journal October 1974
Resonant energy transfer from argon dimers to atomic oxygen in microhollow cathode discharges journal February 2001
Chemi-ionization in neon plasma journal October 2002
Microdischarge devices fabricated in silicon journal September 1997
Transition probabilities for one electron atoms report October 2008
Electron‐impact dissociation of oxygen journal June 1993
Hydrogen Lyman-alpha and Lyman-beta emissions from high-pressure microhollow cathode discharges in Ne-H 2 mixtures journal November 1999
Cross Sections for Collisions of Electrons and Photons with Nitrogen Molecules journal July 1986
Production and loss of N 2 + , Ne+ and Ne 2 + during the decay period of plasmas produced in neon-nitrogen mixtures journal February 1971
Electron energy distributions in the negative glow and their relevance to hollow cathode lasers journal February 1977
Microhollow cathode discharges journal January 1996
Reactions of excited neon atoms in neon-helium afterglows. I. Rate data journal July 1985
E1 transitions of astrophysical interest in neutral oxygen journal September 1991
Modeling of microdischarge devices: Pyramidal structures journal February 2004
Cross Sections for Electron Collisions with Hydrogen Molecules journal June 2008
Destruction of hydrocarbons in non-thermal, ambient-pressure, capillary discharge plasmas journal April 2004
Researches on the Double Cathode Effect† journal June 1958
Forbidden Band Systems in Nitrogen. I. The Vegard‐Kaplan System in Absorption journal March 1959
Breit-Pauli energy levels and transition rates for nitrogen-like and oxygen-like sequences journal April 2002
Electron heating in atmospheric pressure glow discharges journal April 2001
Effect of limiting the cathode surface on direct current microhollow cathode discharge in helium journal August 2008
Microhollow cathode discharge excimer lamps journal May 2000
Temporal evolution of electron density and electron temperature profiles in a non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma measured by laser Thomson scattering journal December 2014
Cross Sections for Collisions of Electrons and Photons with Atomic Oxygen journal May 1990
Optical emission spectroscopy study in the VUV–VIS regimes of a developing low-temperature plasma in nitrogen gas journal November 2012
Electron-Temperature Dependence of Electron-Ion Recombination in Neon journal January 1968
Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion book January 1984
Instability-Enhanced Collisional Effects and Langmuir’s Paradox journal June 2009
Measurement of collisional quenching rate of nitrogen states N 2 ( C3 Π u , v = 0) and {\rm N}_2^+ (B\,^{\rm 2}\Sigma_{\rm g}^+,v=0) journal September 2010
Electron impact dissociative excitation of O 2 : 2. Absolute emission cross sections of the OI(130.4 nm) and OI(135.6 nm) lines journal January 2003
Effect of radiation trapping on fluorescence lifetime and emission cross section measurements in solid-state laser media journal January 1994
Temporal and spatially resolved laser-scattering plasma diagnostics for the characterization of a ms-pulsed glow discharge journal January 2006
Pulsed glow discharges for analytical applications journal July 2009

Cited By (1)

Direct current microhollow cathode discharges on silicon devices operating in argon and helium journal February 2018