An Efficient Ionization Method for Pressure Up To Thousands of Pascals

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel RF antenna design with isolated solenoids that efficiently generates plasma at pressures up to 2500 Pa, suitable for low-temperature plasma applications and plasma propulsion in near space.

Contribution

The paper presents a new antenna configuration utilizing capacitive and inductive coupling with magnetic mirrors for stable plasma generation at high pressures.

Findings

Reliable air ionization up to 2500 Pa

Steady plasma discharge maintained for hours

Effective for low-temperature plasma applications

Abstract

A novel radio-frequency antenna consisting of isolated solenoids is reported to generate plasma for pressure up to thousands of pascals. The underlying mechanism involves capacitive coupling, inductive coupling and axial confinement from magnetic mirrors. It can ionize the air reliably with pressure up to $2500$~Pa for the $1$~kW-$13.56$~MHz power supply employed, and maintain the discharge steadily from tens of minutes to hours. This ionization method is particularly useful for plasma propulsion in near space and other low-temperature plasma applications where sub-atmospheric pressure is required.