ANALYTIC INVESTIGATION OF THE GLOW-DISCHARGE ANODE REGION IN ELEVATED-PRESSURE ELECTRONEGATIVE GASES

An analytic model for a three-component electronegative plasma has bee n developed within the framework of a diffusion-drift approximation. A node fall voltage and anode sheath thickness are found for elevated-pr essure glow discharge. The predicted voltage-current dependencies are compared to available experimental and numerical results for de glow d ischarges in air at pressures of 40-100 Torr. Electronegative ions inc rease the anode fall voltage at high current densities, including the values for anode spots, and reduce the anode fall voltage at low curre nt densities, but pass through a minimum at a critical value of their concentration. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.