Arrays of Novel Coplanar-Electrode Microplasma Devices

Arrays of coplanar-electrode microplasma devices have been fabricated and operated under neon pressures. The microcavity of the device is composed of a couple of electrodes instead of a dielectric or a single cathode, which can enhance the density of the microcavities. When the size of the microcavity is 150 mum, the density of the microcavities could exceed 10³ cm^-2. The devices are fabricated by only one wet lithography process, which can simplify the fabrication processes and develop the fabrication uniformity. The current-voltage characteristics of the devices under different operation pressures and with different frequencies are investigated. The experimental results show that the current-voltage characteristics under different neon pressures exhibit a positive differential resistance of about 78 kOmega. The discharge current will be enhanced with the increase in operation pressure and driven frequency. With the increase in driven voltage and operation pressure, the discharge in the gaps will be enhanced, and the degree of the enhancement in the gaps will exceed that in the microcavities, particularly when the driven voltage is above 350 V and the driven frequency is above 20 kHz.