Characteristics of N2 and N2/O2 atmospheric pressure glow discharges

Due to its richness in various active species a nitrogen plasma discharge is a promising tool for many applications. However, owing to the difficulties in igniting and sustaining this type of discharge, the construction of plasma sources operating in nitrogen gas is still very challenging. In this work we describe and characterize two home-built plasma sources with two different electrode configurations able to work in a nitrogen atmosphere. For this purpose, the jets of plasma species formed are studied by emission spectroscopy, and thermal and electrical measurements. It is noted that the addition of a small amount of oxygen to the nitrogen flow changes the optical and thermal properties of the jet and these results are also discussed.