ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE GAS-DISCHARGES FOR SURFACE-TREATMENT

Dielectric barrier discharges (also called silent discharges) driven b y high voltage at frequencies from 50 Hz to several kilohertz have bee n used for decades in plasma chemical processing of gases. In this pap er the new concept of direct dielectric barrier discharges for surface treatment in the range of several hundred kilohertz is introduced, wh ere the material being treated is used as one of the electrodes. Witho ut absorbing components in between the discharge and the surface, high frequency electric fields, energetic electrons, UV light and reactive radicals are efficiently combined for plasma chemical surface treatme nt. Direct barrier discharges allow for continuous high speed processe s in open-electrode configurations without expensive vacuum equipment.