Zero voltage switching driver and flyback transformer for generation of atmospheric pressure plasma jet

There are increasing interests in the application of cold atmospheric plasma device for the application in surface science and medical field. Numerous studies focused on the effects of plasma emission onto living organisms. This report presents the application of a power driver circuit for induction of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). The system consists of a resonant inverter of Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) circuit powered by a 12Vdc input voltage which is coupled to a flyback transformer in generation of high voltage up to 24.5 kV. The output voltage from the ZVS driver and flyback transformer to the plasma torch (quartz tube) was determined using Falstad circuit simulation. The simulation on the waveforms generated from the ZVS circuit correlated well with the actual voltage measurement at the output of the ZVS circuit. The peak voltage dropped across a parallel capacitor coupled to the flyback transformer is approximately 36 V. The atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) purged with Argon gas at a flow rate of 50 l/min was exposed to a leaf for 5 seconds. This created pin holes in the exposed area of the leaf indicating high temperature was induced at the focused spot of the plasma. An atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) system has been developed for with potential application in destructive medicine.