Discharge characteristics of a radio-frequency capacitively coupled Ar/O2 glow discharge at atmospheric pressure

In this study, the discharge characteristics of the developed atmospheric pressure homogeneous and cold plasma source in Ar/O-2 glow discharge driven by radio-frequency (13.56 MHz) are investigated experimentally by means of electric measurements. The electron density is estimated to be in the order of 10(11) cm(-3) in the abnormal discharge regime and is reduced by half in amount when the oxygen is mixed into argon plasma at oxygen-to-argon ratio of 03 and 0.6 vol.% at the same input power. The estimated electron temperature assumes the value of 1.4 eV in the abnormal discharge regime and the addition of oxygen to the argon plasma at the oxygen-to-argon ratio smaller than 1.0 vol.% does not alter the electron temperature appreciably. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.