Microplasmas and applications

Atmospheric-pressure, non-equilibrium plasmas are susceptible to instabilities and, in particular, to arcing (glow-to-arc transition). Spatially confining the plasma to dimensions of 1 mm or less is a promising approach to the generation and maintenance of stable, glow discharges at atmospheric-pressure. Often referred to as microdischarges or microplasmas, these weakly-ionized discharges represent a new and fascinating realm of plasma science, where issues such as the possible breakdown of 'pd scaling' and the role of boundary-dominated phenomena come to the fore. Microplasmas are generated under conditions that promote the efficient production of transient molecular species such as the rare gas excimers,…