Atmospheric pressure gas discharges for surface treatment

Dielectric barrier discharges (also called silent discharges) driven by high voltage at frequencies from 50Hz to several kilohertz have been used for decades in plasma chemical processing of gases. In this paper the new concept of direct dielectric barrier discharges for surface treatment in the range of several hundred kilohertz is introduced. where the material being treated is used as one of the electrodes. Without 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 treatment. Direct barrier discharges allow for continuous high speed processes in open-electrode configurations without expensive vacuum equipment.