Microplasma devices fabricated in silicon, ceramic, and metal/polymer structures: Arrays, emitters and photodetectors

Recent advances in the development of microplasma devices fabricated in a variety of materials systems (Si, ceramic multilayers, and metal/polymer structures) and configurations are reviewed. Arrays of microplasma emitters, having inverted pyramidal Si electrodes or produced in ceramic multilayer sandwiches with integrated ballasting for each pixel, have been demonstrated and arrays as large as 30 × 30 pixels are described. A new class of photodetectors, hybrid semiconductor/microplasma devices, is shown to exhibit photoresponsivities in the visible and near-infrared that are more than an order of magnitude larger than those typical of semiconductor avalanche photodiodes. Microdischarge devices having refractory or piezoelectric dielectric films such as Al₂O₃ or BN have extended lifetimes (∼86% of initial radiant output after 100 h with an Al₂O₃ dielectric) and controllable electrical characteristics. A segmented, linear array of microdischarges, fabricated in a ceramic multilayer structure and having an active length of ∼1 cm and a clear aperture of 80 × 360 μm², exhibits evidence of gain on the 460.3 nm transition of Xe⁺, making it the first example of a microdischarge-driven optical amplifier.