In-situ\textit {In-situ} control of microdischarge characteristics in unipolar pulsed plasma electrolytic oxidation of aluminum

Microdischarges occurring during plasma electrolytic oxidation are the main mechanism promoting oxide growth compared to classical anodization. When the dissipated energy by microdischarges during the coating process gets too large, high-intensity discharges might occur, which are detrimental to the oxide layer. In bipolar pulsed plasma electrolytic oxidation a so called "soft-sparking" mode limits microdischarge growth. This method is not available for unipolar pulsing and for all material combinations. In this work, the authors provide a method to control the size- and intensity distributions of microdischarges by utilizing a multivariable closed-loop control. $\textit {In-situ}$ detection of microdischarge properties by CCD-camera measurements and fast image processing algorithms are deployed. The visible size of microdischarges is controlled by adjusting the duty cycle in a closed-loop feedback scheme, utilizing a PI-controller. Uncontrolled measurements are compared to controlled cases. The microdischarge sizes are controlled to a mean value of $\it A$ = 5 ­­­­· $10^{-3}$ $mm^{2}$ and $\it A$ = 7 ­­­­· $10^{-3}$ $mm^{2}$, respectively. Results for controlled cases show, that size and intensity distributions remain constant over the processing time of 35 minutes. Larger, high-intensity discharges can be effectively prevented. Optical emission spectra reveal, that certain spectral lines can be influenced or controlled with this method. Calculated black body radiation fits with very good agreement to measured continuum emission spectra $\it T$ = 3200 K. Variance of microdischarge size, emission intensity and continuum radiation between consecutive measurements is reduced to a large extent, promoting uniform microdischarge and oxide layer properties. A reduced variance in surface defects can be seen in SEM measurements, after coating for 35 minutes, for controlled cases. Surface defect study shows increased number density of microdischarge impact regions, while at the same time reducing pancake diameters, implying reduced microdischarge energies compared to uncontrolled cases

Characterisation of volume and surface dielectric barrier discharges in N2_2–O2_2 mixtures using optical emission spectroscopy

A volume and a twin surface dielectric barrier discharge (VDBD and SDBD) are generated in different nitrogen–oxygen mixtures at atmospheric pressure by applying damped sinusoidal voltage waveforms with oscillation periods in the microsecond time scale. Both electrode configurations are located inside vacuum vessels and operated in a controlled atmosphere to exclude the influence of surrounding air. The discharges are characterised with different spatial and temporal resolution by applying absolutely calibrated optical emission spectroscopy in conjunction with numerical simulations and current–voltage measurements. Plasma parameters, namely the electron density and the reduced electric field, and the dissipated power are found to depend strongly on the oxygen content in the working gas mixture. Different spatial and temporal distributions of plasma parameters and dissipated power are explained by surface and residual volume charges for different O$_2$ admixtures due to their effects on the electron recombination rate. Thus, the oxygen admixture is found to strongly influence the breakdown process and plasma conditions of a VDBD and a SDBD

μ\mus and ns twin surface dielectric barrier discharges operated in air

Electrode erosion through continual long-timescale operation (60 min) of identical twin surface dielectric barrier discharges (twin SDBDs) powered either by a microsecond ($\mu$s) or a nanosecond timescale (ns) voltage source is investigated. The twin SDBDs are characterized using current–voltage measurements, optical emission spectroscopy, and phase integrated ICCD imaging. The temporally and spatially averaged gas temperature, consumed electric power, and effective discharge parameters (reduced electric field, and electron density) are measured. The μ$\mu$s twin SDBD is shown to operate in a filamentary mode while the ns twin SDBD is shown to operate in a more homogeneous mode (i.e. non filamentary). Despite a similarity of the effective discharge parameters in both the μs and ns twin SDBD, erosion of the nickel coated electrodes caused by operation of the twin SDBD differs strongly. Only the formation of a moderate number of nickel oxide species is observed on the surface of the ns twin SDBD electrodes. In contrast, the nickel coated electrodes are locally melted and considerably higher densities of oxides are observed around the eroded areas of the μs twin SDBD, due to the filamentary nature of the discharge