Ferro-electric pellet shape effect on C2F6 removal by a packed-bed-type nonthermal plasma reactor

Ceramic dielectric material pellet shape effects on the performance of perfluoroethane (C₂F₆) gas removal from simulated semiconductor process gas using packed-bed reactor are experimentally investigated. The bench-scale cylindrical shaped (plasma part: 30-mm inner diameter and 20-mm length) plasma reactor consists of two metal mesh electrodes packed with spherical, cylindrical, or hollow cylindrical shaped ferro-electric pellets with various dielectric constants. The 60-Hz ac high voltage was applied to the mesh electrode. The 3000 ppm C₂F₆ gas diluted with nitrogen was used as simulated gas with flow rate of 30 mL/min. The C₂F₆ concentration was monitored using Fourier transform Infrared absorption spectroscopy measurements. The results show that the packed-bed plasma reactor with the hollow cylindrical-shaped pellets removed the C₂F₆ gas with energy efficiency of 3.7 g/kWh. This value was almost 1.5 times higher than the efficiency 2.5 g/kWh in case of the spherical pellets. The discharge characteristics in the reactor were also changed with the pellet shape. The discharge onset voltage decreases by changing the pellets shape from sphere to hollow cylinder. The quantity of charges accumulated with the microdischarge currents increases by changing the pellet shape from sphere to hollow cylinder in spite of fact that the energy consumed in the reactor decreases.