Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 11, 2401015 (2016)

Regular Articles

Characterization of Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas by a Gerdien Condenser
Ma Camille C. LACDAN and Motoi WADA
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
(Received 3 December 2015 / Accepted 26 January 2016 / Published 4 March 2016)

Abstract

A compact Gerdien condenser is being developed as a new characterization tool for laboratory-produced atmospheric pressure plasma. The Gerdien condenser is capable of determining the ion density and mobility, thus ion species composition of the plasma. The device has a 1.0 cm diameter, 6.0 cm long cylindrical current collector electrode mounted on a bias electrode of 1.7 cm inner diameter. The flow rate of the fan attached at the end of the condenser is set from 1.9 to 7.5 × 102 cm3 s −1. Some of the values of ion mobility calculated from the I–V characteristics obtained for atmospheric plasmas produced by RF excited atmospheric pressure plasma pen are in the range of O+, O−, O2−, O2+, Ar+, N+ and N2+. The total positive ion densities at 2.0 cm away from the plasma pen are determined to be in the range of 106 cm−3.

Keywords

Gerdien condenser, plasma diagnostics, atmospheric pressure plasma, ion mobility, ion density

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.11.2401015

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