About formation of secondary current pulses in dielectric barrier discharges in Xe-Cl₂ mixtures

Formation of secondary current pulses in the dielectric barrier discharge in Xe-Cl₂ mixture is studied using 1-D fluid model. The effect of amplitude of 100-kHz harmonic voltage on the discharge characteristics at pressure 200 torr and chlorine concentration 0.5% has been investigated and discussed. In the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), at low voltage amplitude a current pulse appears once per a half-cycle of a voltage. However, with increase in voltage amplitude a secondary pulse follows the primary current pulse. Charge, transferred by a current pulse, does not depend on a voltage, so at big voltage the charge is insufficient for neutralization of surface charges of dielectrics. It is a principal cause of developing the secondary current pulses in DBDs.