Experimental study of RF/microplasma interaction using an inverted microstrip line

This paper presents an experimental study of the RF/microplasma interaction by the use of an inverted microstrip line. Microplasma discharges present physical characteristics that may be interesting for reconfigurable RF components. A measurement setup that consists of a 50 Ω inverted microstrip line with a single microplasma discharge placed in its center is proposed to measure the RF/microplasma interaction. The characterization is based on the influence of the plasma discharge over the S parameters of the line. Several measurements are presented. The main effects of the plasma discharge on the transmission line are a slight increase of the reflected power as well as an absorption of the incident power.