THE MECHANISM OF THE STABILIZATION OF GLOW PLASMA AT ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE

Some reasons are discussed for the stabilisation of a glow discharge at atmospheric pressure which was attained by controlling the following three conditions: the use of a high-frequency source, the use of He gas for dilution and the insertion of a dielectric plate between electrodes. The three conditions interact: the dielectric plate in a plasma forms the pulsed discharge from a low-frequency source, the fast duration of pulse current prevents a transition to an arc style discharge and a large volume of metastable atomic helium aids ionisation or dissociation near the electrode plate and in the flowing gas. The measurements of discharge-maintaining voltage at several hundred volts provide evidence that this is really a glow plasma at atmospheric pressure. The changes of the emission intensities of metastable helium prove indirectly that some dissociation occurs as a result of the action of the helium atom. © 1990 IOP Publishing Ltd.