A Micromachined Flexible Hollow Cathode Discharge Device

This paper presents the fabrication and test of a flexible hollow cathode discharge device. The discharge device consists of three layers; a thin anode layer, an insulation layer and a hollow cathode layer. The hollow cathode discharge is characterized by its high current density. The discharge device is fabricated by micromachining technology. The anode and cathode are made of aluminum and nickel, respectively. Polyimide is chosen as an insulating material because of its excellent dielectric properties and good mechanical stability. The device has an array of 10 ×10 holes for the discharge. The hole diameter and depth are 70 and 110 µm, respectively. The size of the flexible discharge device is 9 ×9 ×0.13 mm3. The discharge test was performed in an argon gas chamber at room temperature. The current is measured during the discharge at various applied voltages. At a pressure of 510 Torr, the discharge appears at an operating voltage of 270 V. The discharge is also observed at atmospheric pressure.