Microdischarge-assisted ignition of dielectric-barrier high-pressure glow discharges

Abstract

The ignition characteristics of dielectric-barrier high-pressureglow (DB-HPG) discharges in the presence of dc microdischarges are studied for pure helium and pure nitrogen working gases. In the presence of an array of microdischarges integrated with one of the DB-HPG electrodes, a substantial reduction of DB-HPG ignition voltage is observed for both working gases. The discharge structure within the DB-HPG volume gap is localized near the microdischarge holes when the DB-HPG first turns on in the presence of microdischarges, but subsequently expands to cover the entire volume at higher voltages for the pressures studied. The helium discharge is generally more uniform than the nitrogen gas. Our studies indicate that the localized discharge has a glow-like character rather than a Townsend- or streamer-like one.