EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON MARTENSITIC TRANSFORMATION AND SHAPE MEMORY PROPERTIES

J. Phys. IV France 07 (1997) C4-331-C4-339
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:1997427

Generation of Supersonic Plasma Flow by Means of Unipolar RF Discharges

M. Novák¹, M. Sícha², V. Kapicka³, L. Jastrabík¹, L. Soukup¹, Z. Hubicka², M. Klíma³, P. Slavícek³ and A. Brablec<sup>3

1</sup>  Institute of Physics, Division of Optics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, 180 40 Prague 8, Czech Republic
²  Department of Electronics and Vacuum Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V. Holesovickách 2, 180 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic
³  Department of Physical Electronics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlárská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic

Abstract
Recently the unipolar discharges has been used as a plasma source which employ the flow of the working gas for the creation of plasma channels : At first the radio frequency unipolar one hollow cathode discharge the cathode of which acts simultaneously as a nozzle for working gas inlet to the reactor chamber has been used in the particular applications.[1,2]. On the base of this reactor the plasma-chemical reactor with a system of unipolar multi-hollow-cathode discharges has been developed. This reactor is able to deposit the composite thin films and multi-layer structures onto internal walls of cavities, tubes and on the components with complicated shapes. Secondly the RF unipolar torch discharge has been used as a source of the plasma Channel. The advantage of this system is that it is possible to use it up to atmospheric pressure of the working gas and even in the liquid environment[3],[4]. In the present report the generation of the plasma channels by means of mentioned RF unipolar plasma discharges is discussed. At first the devices with RF unipolar hollow cathode discharge are presented and after that the device with the torch discharge is mentioned.

© EDP Sciences 1997