LARGE AREA ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE PLASMA JET

摘要

An apparatus (10) using plasma discharge, that can be operated at atmospheric pressure and near room temperature using 13.56 MhZ rf power, is disclosed. The discharge produces a gas-phase effluent no hotter than 250 degrees centigrade at an applied power of about 300 W and shows no distinct non-thermal characteristics. The device (10) includes two planar parallel electrodes (14) employed to generate a plasma in the volume therebetween. Arcing is prevented in the apparatus by using gas mixtures containing He, which limits ionization, by using high flow velocities, and by properly spacing the rf-powered electrode.