Firing and sustaining discharge characteristics in alternating current microdischarge cell with three electrodes

The firing and sustaining characteristics in an ac microdischarge cell with three electrodes are examined based on varying the distances between the three electrodes. In particular, the breakdown voltage and the sustaining voltage are measured as a parameter of the width of the discharge gap between the three electrodes. It is found that the firing and sustaining conditions vary according to the distance between the three electrodes and the discharge characteristics strongly depend on the voltage applied on the three electrode, especially with a wide discharge gap structure.