Wang Yan-Hui

Modes of Homogeneous Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure in Helium

The discharge modes of a homogeneous barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure in helium are investigated with a one-dimensional fluid model. It is found that, either in single peak discharge or in multipeak discharge, there are two discharge modes: glow and Townsend modes. The structure and features of the two modes are compared. The conditions forming the two modes are discussed.

Radial Evolution of the Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Helium Controlled by Dielectric Barrier

The radial evolution of atmospheric pressure glow discharge in helium is presented by numerical simulation. The calculations reveal the mechanism of two current peaks per half cycle. The first breakdown occurs firstly in the central region of the electrode, and then spreads to the edge, while the second breakdown ignites at the periphery firstly, and then propagates toward the discharge central region. The simulations indicate that radial electric fields and radial sheath play an important role in the evolution of the second peak. These results agree fundamentally with the experimental observations.

Self-Consistent Model for Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharges in Helium

We show the necessity of leaving out the approximation of constant average electron energy in many fluid models. For this purpose a one-dimensional self-consistent model for He atmospheric barrier discharges is developed. With this model, the electron energy distribution function in the atmospheric pressure glow discharge is obtained without introducing much difficulty, and the new model is readily implemented for investigating discharges in complicated gases.

The Role of Metastable Atoms in a Homogeneous Atmospheric Pressure Barrier Discharge in Helium

A one-dimensional fluid model for homogeneous atmospheric pressure barrier discharges in helium is presented by considering elementary processes of excitation and ionization including a metastable atom effect. Using this model we investigate the behaviours of the helium metastable atoms in discharges as well as their influence on the discharge characteristics. It is shown that the metastable atoms with a relatively high concentration during the discharge are mainly produced in the active phase of the discharge and dissolved in the off phase. It is also found that the metastable atom collisions can not only provide seed electrons for discharges but also influence the concentration of ions. A reduction of matestable atom density results in a drop in the charged particle densities and causes a qualitative change in the discharge patterns.

Two-dimensional temperature distribution inside a hemispherical bowl-shaped target for plasma source ion implantation

One important parameter for the plasma source ion implantation (PSII) process is the target temperature obtained during the surface modification. Because the power input to the target being implanted can be large, its temperature is quite high. The target temperature prediction is useful, whether the high temperature is required in the experiment. In addition, there is likely to be temperature variation across the target surface, which can lead to locally different surface properties. In this paper, we have presented a model to predict and explain the temperature distribution on a hemispherical bowl-shaped vessel during plasma source ion implantation. A two-dimensional fluid model to derive both the ion flux to the target and the energy imparted to the substrate by the ions in the plasma sheath simulation is employed. The calculated energy input and radiative heat loss are used to predict the temperature rise and variation inside the sample in the thermal model. The shape factor of the target for radiation is taken into account in the radiative energy loss. The influence of the pulse duration and the pulsing frequency on the temperature distribution is investigated in detail. Our work shows that at high pulsing frequencies the temperature of the bowl will no longer rise with the increase of the pulsing frequency.

Numerical Study of Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure Under the Needle-Plate Electrode Configuration

In this paper, we study the characteristics of atmospheric-pressure pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) under the needle-plate electrode configuration using a one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model. The results show that, the DBDs driven by positive pulse, negative pulse and bipolar pulse possess different behaviors. Moreover, the two discharges appearing at the rising and the falling phases of per voltage pulse also have different discharge regimes. For the case of the positive pulse, the breakdown field is much lower than that of the negative pulse, and its propagation characteristic is different from the negative pulse DBD. When the DBD is driven by a bipolar pulse voltage, there exists the interaction between the positive and negative pulses, resulting in the decrease of the breakdown field of the negative pulse DBD and causing the change of the discharge behaviors. In addition, the effects of the discharge parameters on the behaviors of pulsed DBD in the needle-plate electrode configuration are also studied.

The Nonlinear Behaviors in Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Multi Pulse Discharges

An in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the complex nonlinear behaviors in atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge is significant for the stable operation and effective control of the plasma. In this paper, we study the nonlinear behaviors in argon atmospheric dielectric barrier multi pulse discharges by a one-dimensional fluid model. Under certain conditions, the multi pulse discharge becomes very sensitive with the increase of frequency, and the multi pulse period-doubling bifurcation, inverse period-doubling bifurcation and chaos appear frequently. The discharge can reach a relatively steady state only when the discharges are symmetrical between positive and negative half cycle. In addition, the effects of the voltage on these nonlinear discharges are also studied. It is found that the amplitude of voltage has no effects on the number of discharge pulses in multi-pulse period-doubling bifurcation sequences; however, to a relatively stable periodic discharge, the discharge pulses are proportional to the amplitude of the applied voltage within a certain range.