INTRODUCTION TO

COLD PLASMA.
GENERATION TECHNIQUES:
1- DC GLOW DISCHARGES.
2-RADIO FREQUENCY DISCHARGE.
3- MICROWAVE DISCHARGE PLASMA.
 COLD PLASMA.

COLD PLASMA is also known as
Non-LTE Plasma. (Non-Local Thermal Equilibrium Plasma)
Nonthermal Plasma.
Non Equilibrium Plasma.
Low Pressure Plasma.

DEFINITION:
A nonthermal plasma, cold plasma or non-equilibrium plasma is a plasma which is not in
thermodynamic equilibrium, because the electron temperature is much hotter than the temperature
of heavy species (ions and neutrals). As only electrons are thermalized, their Maxwell-Boltzmann
velocity distribution is very different than the ion velocity distribution. When one of the velocities of a
species does not follow a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, the plasma is said to be non-Maxwellian .
EXAMPLE:
A kind of common nonthermal plasma is the mercury-vapor gas within a fluorescent lamp, where the
"electron gas" reaches a temperature of 20,000 K (19,700 °C; 35,500 °F) while the rest of the gas, ions
and neutral atoms, stays barely above room temperature, so the bulb can even be touched with hands
while operating.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
In DC glow discharge, there is a fixed cathode and a fixed anode.
Electrons will be accelerated from cathode to anode and acquire more energy. Along the way
to the anode, electrons will experience many collisions with other ions and neutrals. During
the impacts, electrons will transfer their energy to bonded electrons within ions and neutrals.
Once the electric field strength reaches a certain level, free-moving electrons can acquire
enough energy to knock out bonded electrons from neutral particles. A process similar to
avalanche breakdown will happen in the gas chamber.
Electron and ion density will be multiplied and eventually the whole space will be filled with
positive, negative ions and electrons.
Sometimes a heated filament is used as cathode electrode to emit constant flow of free
electrons to help to ignite the plasma and improve the stability. Unfortunately, evaporated
metals from heated filament can sometimes contaminate the sample.
There is an optimum voltage range between cathode and anode to generate plasma. If the
voltage is too low, free electrons won't have enough energy to ionize the neutrals. If the
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
When a large voltage is applied between the electrodes, say 100 V/cm,
any free electrons which may be present are rapidly accelerated
towards the anode. They quickly attain high velocity (kinetic energy)
because they have such Low Mass. Since kinetic energy can be related
to temperature, the electrons are “hot” - they achieve extremely high
temperatures because of their low mass, in an environment of heavy,
slow-moving “cold” gas molecules.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
Electrons begin to collide with gas molecules, and the collisions can be
either elastic or inelastic.
 Elastic collisions deplete very little of the electron’s energy
and do not significantly influence the molecules because of
the great mass difference between electrons and molecules:
Mass of electron = 9.11 e-31 kg, Mass of Argon = 6.64e20 kg.
 Inelastic collisions excite the molecules of gas or ionize
them by completely removing an electron. (The excitation -
relaxation processes are responsible for the glow)
DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.

• Other electron/particle inelastic events.

 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• Newly produced electrons are accelerated toward the anode
and the process cascades (Breakdown).
DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• With sufficient voltage, the gas rapidly becomes filled with
positive and negative particles throughout its volume, i.e. it
becomes ionized.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• Positive ions are accelerated toward the negative electrode
(cathode). Collision with the cathode causes the emission of
secondary electrons which are emitted from the cathode
into the plasma.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• Free electrons from secondary emission and from ionization
are accelerated in the field to continue the above processes,
and a steady state self-sustaining discharge is obtained.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• Electrons are lost by: (a) Drift and diffusion to the chamber
walls, (b) recombination with positive ions, (c) attachment to
neutral molecules to form negative ions.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• The glow discharge, overall, must always remain neutral, although
portions of it may be charged negatively or positively.
• Glow Discharge Regions.

1 -- Cathode Dark Space.(Crooke’s Dark Space)

2 -- Negative Glow.
3 -- Faraday Dark Space.
4 -- Positive Column.
5 -- Anode Dark Space.
DC GLOW DISCHARGE.

MOST OF THE
VOLTAGE DROP IS
ACROSS CATHODE
DARK SPACE REGION 1.
PARTICLES ENERGY AND TEMPERATURE.
• Electrons
– Energy: E=1-10eV with an average temperature of ~ 2eV
– Temperature: E=2eV; T = E/Kb ; T= ~ 23,000K

• Neutral particles
– E~0.025eV
– Temperature = room temperature (293K)
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
• I-V Characteristics of DC Low Pressure Electrical Discharge.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
 A-B: Background ionization regime (X-Ray or gamma): electrons & ions created
are swept out by the voltage.
 B-C: V ↑, I = cst. → no new charge creation → electrons & ions are removed
from the discharge volume, and electrons do not have enough energy to
multiply.
 C-E: Townsend regime: e + neutral gaz → N x e + gas+ → I ↑.
 [D,E] : Electric field at sharp points, edges: → breakdown strength is exceeded
locally: CORONA discharge.
 E : Electrical breakdown: “Avalanche”: secondary electrons are injected into
the tube, originating from the bombardment of cathode by ions.
 DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
 So far : no glow → DARK DISCHARGE.

 E-F : [Neutral gas]** ↑↑ → glow.

 D-F : [Neutral gas]** ↑↑ → glow.
 F-G : Plasma covers the whole cathode.
 G-H : Abnormal glow regime: V ↑ if I ↑.
 H : Cathode starts to emit thermo-electrons → [e] ↑, V ↓.
 H-J : Non thermal equilibrium: Te > Ti = Tg.
 J-K : Thermal Arc: Te = Ti = Tg : all species are in thermal equilibrium.
DC GLOW DISCHARGE.
THANKS FOR
YOUR
ATTENTION