Wave driven Ar-N/sub 2/-O/sub 2/ discharges as sources of active species

Summary form only given. Surface wave sustained, flowing Ar-N/sub 2/-O/sub 2/ discharges attract attention as sources of nitrogen and oxygen atoms for polymer activation and, in particular, for cold plasma sterilization of medical instruments. The self-consistent model is based on a set of equations including Maxwell´s equations, homogeneous electron Boltzmann equation, rate balance equations The axial transport of neutral species due to the presence of gas flow is taken into account. The calculations are performed for optimized medical sterilization conditions: pressure p=5 Torr, flow rates in the range Q=500-1000 sccm and microwave powers between 100 and 150 watts. The concentrations of various active species are investigated as a function of the spatial position and mixture composition. Emission spectroscopy measurements of the N/sub 2/(1/sup +/,2/sup +/,1/sup -/) and NO(/spl gamma/,/spl beta/) band intensities, and measurements of N and O by actinometry and NO titration are used to validate the theoretical results. This model is shown to provide a satisfactory interpretation of the experimental data.