CF/sub 4/ decompositions using streamer- and glow-mode in dielectric barrier discharges

A Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a promising candidate to remove carbon tetrafluoride (CF/sub 4/) because the DBD has been successfully used for generating ozone (O/sub 3/) and decomposing nitrogen oxide (NO). A streamer- and glow-mode operations of DBD were carried out in a coaxial cylinder reactor by coupling 10-kHz alternate current (ac) power. The effect of oxygen on the CF/sub 4/ decompositions was investigated and the optimum oxygen concentrations were found. We compared N/sub 2/-streamer, N/sub 2/-glow, and He-glow modes operated in a DBD to investigate the effect of plasma mode on CF/sub 4/ removal. The results showed that the most efficient CF/sub 4/ removal was obtained in He-glow mode, while N/sub 2/-streamer and N/sub 2/-glow modes demonstrated similar performances. With a practical point of view, we investigated an optimized geometrical configuration of streamer discharge. A micro hole-size perforated DBD showed significant increases in CF/sub 4/ removal efficiency compared to the normal N/sub 2/-streamer mode.