The influence of electrode configuration on light emission profiles and electrical characteristics of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

Abstract

In this paper we focus on the influence of the type of electrodes, their dimensions and inter-electrode gap on the formation of a helium plasma jet. Plasma emission profiles are recorded by an ICCD camera simultaneously with volt-ampere characteristics for three different copper electrode configurations. The delivered power was up to 6.5 W, but it may be set and controlled to 0.1 W. This study shows how the electrode configuration shapes and controls temporal and spatial plasma development as well as electrical characteristics of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet. It is shown that, in our system, the width of the grounded electrode has no significant influence on the formation and properties of pulsed atmospheric-pressure streamers (PAPS) outside the tube, while the width of the powered electrode is crucial in their formation.