Patent ID: 6734964
Filing Date: 2004-05-11
Classification: G01J,H01J

Abstract:
A pulsed, atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus for generating and analyzing light emission characteristic of species in the plasma, which comprises in combination:(a) an electrically insulating hollow tube open at one end and having a wall; (b) a grounded metallic electrode piercing the wall of said hollow tube; (c) a second metallic electrode piercing the wall of said hollow tube in the vicinity of said grounded electrode; (d) means for flowing a gas in which the species is entrapped through said hollow tube; (e) a high voltage dc pulse generator in electrical contact with said second electrode for generating a pulsed plasma in the gas flowing between said grounded electrode and said second electrode; and (f) an optical spectrometer for spectrally resolving and detecting the light emission exiting the open end of said hollow tube characteristic of the species entrapped in the gas.