Microchannel plasma devices fabricated in a single sheet of aluminum foil: Large scale arrays for photonic applications

Summary form only given. MicroChannel plasma devices have been fabricated in a single sheet of aluminum foil, ranging in thickness from 100 to 127 Icircfrac14m, by electrochemical processes. Precisely controlled electrochemical processing enables the integration of 200 microchannels in an area as large as 42 cm2. The width and length of each microchannel in the device is ~75 Icircfrac14m and 7 cm, respectively. All the electrodes and interconnects along the microchannels are patterned by standard photolithography, and they are encapsulated by nanoporous AI2O3, acting as the dielectric barrier layer for a capacitive discharge. An entire sheet of aluminum is converted into AI2O3 with the exception of thin aluminum electrodes lying in each barrier rib structure and electrically isolated from each other. Individual electrodes can be driven by applying an external power input between two neighboring electrodes. The capacitance and power consumption of the device are decreased by more than 50% relative to the previously reported 1 2 AI/AI2O3 microplasma devices of the same area. ´ MicroChannel plasma devices for AC excitation have been fabricated in various configurations and the discharge properties in Ar, Ne, air, Ne/Xe, and Ar/N2 mixtures have been investigated. The devices show uniform glow discharges confined inside microchannels without dielectric breakdown for a wide range of gas mixtures and pressures. Details concerning the performance of these microplasma sources will be presented.