Introduction to Plasma Technology

Written by a university lecturer with more than forty years experience in plasma technology, this book adopts a didactic approach in its coverage of the theory, engineering and applications of technological plasmas.
The theory is developed in a unified way to enable brevity and clarity, providing readers with the necessary background to assess the factors that affect the behavior of plasmas under different operating conditions. The major part of the book is devoted to the applications of plasma technology and their accompanying engineering aspects, classified by the various pressure and density regimes at which plasmas can be produced. Two chapters on plasma power supplies round off the book.
With its broad range of topics, from low to high pressure plasmas, from characterization to modeling, and from materials to components, this is suitable for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and professionals in the field.

Auteur
John Ernest Harry has been involved with plasma research for more than fourty years. He has 120 scientific papers, three books and more than ten patents to his name. After a period in industry he joined Loughborough University, UK, as a Senior Lecturer for electrical engineering in 1972 and became Reader in Electric Discharges in 1985. In addition to his lectureships John Ernest Harry is Chief Executive of Plasma Systems Ltd, Kent, UK, and works with Loughborough University as a project consultant.

Contenu

1. PLASMAS, AN OVERVIEW
   Plasma Energy Distribution
   Plasma Sheaths
   The Generalized Discharge Characteristic
   Coupling Energy to a Plasma
   Effect of Pressure
   Frequency
   Magnetic Fields

2. ELASTIC AND INELASTIC COLLISION PROCESSES IN GASES
   Elastic Processes
   Excitation and Ionisation Processes

3. THE INTERACTION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS WITH PLASMAS
   Collective and Particle Behaviour of Plasmas
   Charged Particles in Electromagnetic Fields
   Behaviour of A Charged Particle in a Magnetic Field
   The Defining Characteristics of a Plasma
   Methods of Coupling Electrical Energy to Plasmas

4. APPLICATIONS OF LOW PRESSURE ELECTRIC DISCHARGES AND PLASMAS
   Plasma Processes Used in Electronics Fabrication
   Magnetically Enhanced Plasmas
   The Cold Cathode Lamp
   Barrier Discharges for Lamps and Lasers and Plasma Screens
   Gas Lasers
   Molecular Lasers
   Electron and Ion Beams
   Glow Discharge Nitriding

5. ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE DISCHARGES
   The Townsend Discharge
   Corona Discharges
   Corona Discharges on Power Lines
   Corona Used for Water Treatment
   Electrostatic Charging Processes
   Dielectric Barrier Discharges
   Partial Discharges
   Surface Discharges
   The Atmospheric Pressure DC Glow Discharge

6. ARC PROCESSES
   Arc Welding
   Electric Arc Melting
   Arc Gas Heaters
   Electrodeless Discharges
   High Pressure Discharge Lamps
   Ion Lasers
   Switchgear
   Effect of Lightning on Overhead Lines
   Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation
   Generation of Electricity by Nuclear Fusion
   Natural Phenomena
   Applications in Space Research

7. DIAGNOSTIC METHODS AND MODELLING
   Probe Methods
   Interferometry
   Spectroscopic Methods
   Scattering Measurements

8. PLASMA AS A CIRCUIT ELEMENT: THE PLASMA CHARACTERISTIC

9. ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLIES AND INSTRUMENTATION
   Stabilisation at the Operating Point
   The Transformer
   Rectification
   Instrumentation
   Safety

10. ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS
    Electrodes
    Insulators
    Gases
    Optical Materials
    Vacuum Pumps and Instrumentation
    Gas Supplies and Instrumentation
    Water Cooling and Instrumentation