Control of electron dynamics and plasma chemistry in atmospheric rf plasma jets via voltage waveform tailoring*

Atmospheric pressure capacitively coupled radio frequency discharges operated in He/N2 and He/O2 mixtures and driven by tailored voltage waveforms are investigated using a COST microplasma reference jet as a function of the reactive gas admixture and the number of consecutive harmonics used to drive the discharge. We demonstrate that Voltage Waveform Tailoring (VWT) allows one to enhance the control of the dynamics of energetic electrons in distinct spatio-temporal regions of interest within the electrode gap and the RF period and, thus, to optimize and control the generation of helium metastables, atomic nitrogen or oxygen species.