Development and characterization of a pulsed micro hollow cathode discharge array

Summary form only given. A high side, high voltage pulser is used to excite a micro hollow cathode discharge (MHCD) geometry with short pulsed voltages adjustable on the order of 100-500 ns, at repetition rates from 10-200 kHz. The goal of this research is to develop an intense, efficient UV/VUV radiation source capable of generating photons of sufficient energy to affect direct photo-ionization in a gaseous volume rather than photoemission from surfaces. The pulser used in this study has experimentally demonstrated to be capable of efficiencies on the order of 80% when delivering power to a 1 KΩ resistive load at 200 kHz repetition rate. The final design is to be compact, and robust, capable of long term rep-rated operation with minimal electrode erosion and dielectric degradation. Present designs involve laser machining a direct bonded copper (DBC) substrate consisting of Cu-Al₂O₃-Cu. Transient ignition of the MHCD, voltage and current waveforms, and spectral emission are all experimentally studied. A transient, 2-dimensional, cylindrical coordinate (r-z) fluid model is used for the theoretical treatment of the microdischarge. Using known rate coefficients for argon, time and space resolved behavior of discharge under pulsed conditions is presented.