Micro-hollow cathode discharge arrays: high pressure, nonthermal plasma sources
- Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Microhollow cathode discharges are gas discharges between a hollow cathode and a planar or hollow anode with electrode dimensions in the 100 mm range. The characteristics of the microhollow cathode discharges allow their utilization in flat panel excimer (UV and VUV) lamps, as micro for gaseous emission treatment, and as broad area electron and ion sources. The electrical and optical properties of these nonthermal, high-pressure discharges have been studied, with particular emphasis on their use as compact, direct current excimer lamps, and, to a lesser degree, as gas reactors for treatment of polluted gases. The large concentration of high-energy electrons, in combination with the high neutral gas density in microhollow cathode discharges favors three-body processes such as excimer formation. Excimer emission in rare gases, xenon and argon, at wavelengths of 130 nm and 172 nm, respectively, was observed with intensity increasing monotonically with pressure. The efficiency of excimer emitters, however, defined as ratio of the radiant power in the VUV (172 nm) to the electrical power supplied to the discharge, peaks at approximately 400 Torr. For xenon the maximum efficiency is between 6% and 9%. We demonstrated the existence of stable micro discharges in rare gas halogen mixtures, argon fluoride (193 nm) and xenon chloride (308 nm). Efficiencies of approximately 3% were measured for argon fluoride excimer emission. Parallel operation of these discharges, which has also been demonstrated indicates that power densities on the order of 5 W/cm{sup 2} can be obtained for cd operation, >500 W/cm{sup 2} for pulsed operation. The high electron energies in microhollow cathode discharges favor the generation of radicals in any gas, which is flowed through the cathode opening. In experiments where toluene, a volatile organic compound, was added to atmospheric air, the concentration of the toluene was reduced by almost two orders of magnitude after passing through the discharge.
- Research Organization:
- Old Dominion University Research Foundation, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research (ER)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-96ER12197
- OSTI ID:
- 765861
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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