Abstract
This paper describes a suitable driving circuit for micro-plasma sources utilizing the minute gas flow DC discharge. The generator must be provided with a circuit supplying primitive breakdown voltage and one supplying voltage to sustain discharge to obtain an efficient plasma apparatus. Three circuits sustaining discharge are proposed. One regulates DC voltage, another supplies pulse voltage and the other regulates resistance connected with a discharge gap in series. Characteristics of gas flow discharge with helium by supplying DC and DC pulse voltage between a tiny tubular electrode and a metal cathode are examined. The results show that the way supplying pulse voltage has merits which are generating plasma with higher peak energy and obtaining wider plasma energy range compared with the one supplying DC voltage. The paper shows that a circuit supplying pulse voltage is more efficient than one regulating resistance and is smaller than one regulating DC voltage, also.
