summary of dielectric-barrier dischargers:

principle and applications

Jyotishna Dekaboruah
June 2023

1 Introduction
understanding the title: what does dielectric-barrier dischargers means? A Di-
electric Barrier Discharge (DBD) is a type of electrical discharge that occurs
between two electrodes separated by an insulating material known as a dielec-
tric barrier 1. The dielectric barrier serves to limit the flow of electric current
between the electrodes, preventing the formation of a spark or arc . A Dielec-

tric Barrier Discharge (DBD) is a type of non-equilibrium discharge 1. This

means that the electrons in the discharge have a much higher temperature than
the heavy particles (such as atoms and molecules), resulting in a non-thermal
plasma in 1855, du Moncel described experiments he conducted during which he

discovered that an electrical discharge can be generated between two conduct-

ing plates separated by two glass plates [1]. This was the first report describing
the generation of a plasma discharge by what later came to be known as the
dielectric barrier discharge (DBD).

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 Figure 1: Timeline of the development of DBD

Low-temperature plasma (LTP) generated by DBDs has been used in var-

ious plasma processing applications and the DBD was the first device used in
the groundbreaking research of the mid-1990s [12], that ultimately led to the
emergence of the field of plasma medicine A plasma is a state of matter that con-

sists of charged particles such as electrons, ions, and neutrals. In a non-thermal

plasma, the temperature of the electrons is much higher than the temperature
of the heavy particles (ions and neutrals). Temperature is a measure of the av-

erage kinetic energy of the particles in a system. In a non-thermal plasma, the

electrons have a much higher average kinetic energy than the ions and neutrals.
This means that the electrons are moving much faster and have more energy
than the heavy particles. The reason for this difference in temperature is that

the electrons are much lighter than the ions and neutrals, so they can be heated
to much higher temperatures by the same amount of energy. This results in a
plasma that is not in thermodynamic equilibrium, where the different particle
species have different temperatures.

2 CO2 lasers
Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) can be used for the generation of powerful
coherent infrared radiation in CO2 lasers 1. DBD is a type of plasma gener-
ated by applying a high voltage between two electrodes separated by a dielectric
barrier 1. The discharge produces excited molecules and atoms that can emit

2
radiation in the infrared, ultraviolet, or vacuum ultraviolet regions of the spec-
trum 1.

3 Ozone generation and pollution control

The ionization of air in the discharge gap produces various reactive species, in-
cluding ozone.Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent that can break down many
types of pollutants, including VOCs and nitrogen monoxide. When these pol-
lutants come into contact with ozone, they are oxidized and converted into less
harmful substances such as carbon dioxide and water. This process can be used
to treat air or water that is contaminated with pollutants.

4 Incoherent vaccum ultraviolet(VUV) or ultra-

violet(UV) excimer radiation in excimer lamps
Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation refers to ultraviolet radiation with wave-
lengths shorter than 200 nanometers 1. This type of radiation is strongly ab-
sorbed by air and ozone (O3) in particular, which means that it does not pene-
trate Earth’s atmosphere to a significant degree 2. As a result, VUV radiation is
sometimes referred to as “vacuum ultraviolet” because it can only be observed
in a vacuum or an environment where air has been removed 2.
VUV radiation has higher energy than UV radiation with longer wavelengths
and can ionize air moleculesAn excimer lamp (or excilamp) is a source of ultra-
violet light based on the spontaneous emission of excimer (exciplex) molecules 1.
Excimer lamps are quasi-monochromatic light sources that operate over a wide
range of wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)
spectral regions 1. The operation of an excimer lamp is based on the formation
of excited dimers (excimers), which spontaneously transition from the excited
state to the ground state, resulting in the emission of UV photons

5 AC plasma display panels

In an AC Plasma Display Panel (AC-PDP), DBD is used to generate plasma
in small cells between two glass plates 2. Each cell contains a mixture of gases,
typically neon and xenon, and is coated with a phosphor material that emits
light when struck by ultraviolet radiation 2. When a voltage is applied across
the electrodes, a DBD is formed in the cell, ionizing the gas and producing
ultraviolet radiation. This radiation excites the phosphor material, causing it
to emit visible light.
The color of the light emitted by each cell can be controlled by varying
the composition of the phosphor material. By arranging cells with different
phosphor materials into a matrix and controlling the voltage applied to each
cell, an AC-PDP can display full-color images.

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6 Discharge characteristics and microdischarge
properties

Figure 2: Common dielectric-barrier discharge configurations

Important points related to discharge structure:

1. The typical operating range for most technical DBD applications lies be-
tween 500 Hz and 500 kHz.
2. Gas spaces bounded by one or two dielectrics have practically the same
breakdown voltage as if they were between metal electrodes.

3. Typical clearances vary from less than 100 µm to several cm.

4. For atmospheric pressure discharges, gap spacings of a few mm are com-
mon, thus requiring alternating driving voltages with amplitudes of typi-
cally 10 kV.

5. Low loss dielectrics of high breakdown strength such as glass, quartz or

ceramic plates or tubes are used to which metal electrode coatings can be
applied.
6. Metal electrodes with dielectric coatings, e.g., steel tubes with enamel
layers can also be used.

property of microplasma:

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 1. In most gases at about atmospheric pressure, the breakdown of the gas
into a plasma is initiated in a large number of independent current fila-
ments or microdischarges. This means that the electrical breakdown of
the gas, i.e. when the electric field applied to the gas exceeds a certain
threshold value, called the breakdown voltage. At this point, the electric
field is strong enough to accelerate free electrons in the gas to high speeds.
These electrons collide with neutral gas atoms or molecules, knocking off
more electrons and creating more free electrons and positive ions. This
process is called impact ionization and leads to an avalanche of ionization
events that rapidly increases the number of free electrons and ions in the
gas. As a result, the gas becomes a plasma, which is an electrically con-
ductive medium. The electrical breakdown of the gas does not happen
uniformly throughout the gas. Instead, it starts in many small, localized
regions where the electric field is particularly strong. These regions are
called microdischarges or current filaments. Each microdischarge is an
independent event that contributes to the overall breakdown of the gas
into a plasma.

2. the pathway, which is under the influence of electric field, through which
the free electrons move in the plasma is called plasma discharge channel.
the plasma channel is short-lived and extinguishes when the electric field
drops below the breakdown field. This can happen when electrons in the
plasma recombine with ions, reducing the plasma’s conductivity and caus-
ing the electric field to drop. The charge build-up on the dielectric barrier
between the electrodes can also affect the electric field at the location
of the microdischarge.When a microdischarge occurs, it leaves behind a
charge on the dielectric surface. This charge creates its own electric field
that opposes the original field created by the electrodes. As a result, the
net electric field at the location of the microdischarge is reduced, causing
the microdischarge to extinguish.
3. continuity of this microdischarges can be maintained by using AC, because
the voltage will alternate between positive and negative values, causing the
electric field between the electrodes to change direction periodically. and
this will make it more likely for another microdischarge to occur there
when the voltage is reversed.
4. the characteristics of microdischarges, such as their size, shape, and in-
tensity, are not significantly affected by changes in the frequency or shape
of the voltage applied to the DBD. Instead, they are determined by the
properties of the gas mixture and the design of the DBD itself.

7 THINK!
When the rise time of the voltage becomes comparable to the du-
ration of a microdischarge a large number of weak microdischarges

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due to less surface area may be started simultaneously. How can you
compensate for this?
solution: The pulsed DBD mode allows for more precise control
over the microdischarges in a DBD by using repetitive voltage pulses
to excite the discharge. This can provide additional flexibility and
control over the discharge process.
discharge characteristics:
becore starting to understand the characters let’s see the lissajous figure
which tells us very important things like breakdown voltage, the gas capacitance,
the dielectric capacitance, effective capacitance. The lissajous figure can be
used to calculate the consume discharge energy and power by finding the area
enclosed by the curve.

8 Ways of influencing microdischarge properties