Experimental investigation of a capacitive blind hollow cathode discharge with central gas injection

The operating parameters and resulting plasma properties of a blind hollow cathode (BHC) discharge have been investigated. The hollow cathode was driven capacitively with a pulsed dc signal of 200 kHz in a power range between 50 and 100 W at an ambient pressure of about 10 Pa. The working gas was argon, which was introduced with a ceramic capillary at different positions of the longitudinal axis of the hollow cathode with flow rates of between 30 and 1000 sccm. The current–voltage characteristics were recorded. The pressure at the end of the BHC was measured with a miniaturized pressure transducer with varying volumetric flow rate and axial position of the capillary in the hollow cathode. To characterize the ignition behaviour of the system, the measured breakdown voltages were compared with phenomenological Paschen curves calculated from the pressure data. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to examine the origins of the light emission, comparing the glow mode and hollow cathode mode in particular. A high-speed camera recorded some plasma processes. A mounting with an indium tin oxide coated glass was used to observe the inner volume of the BHC along the longitudinal axis, while the plasma was operated with different parameters. The optical observations revealed an inhomogeneous plasma condition along the axis. (paper)