Microdischarge devices fabricated in silicon

Cylindrical microdischarge cavities 200-400 μm in diameter and 0.5-5 mm in depth have been fabricated in silicon and operated at room temperature with neon or nitrogen at specific power loadings beyond 10 kW/cm³. The discharges are azimuthally uniform and stable operation at N₂ and Ne pressures exceeding 1 atm and ∼600 Torr, respectively, has been realized for 400 μm diameter devices. Spectroscopic measurements on neon discharges demonstrate that the device behaves as a hollow cathode discharge for pressures > 50 Torr. As evidenced by emission from Ne and Ne (²P,²F) states as well as N₂ (C → B) fluorescence (316-492 nm), these discharge devices are intense sources of ultraviolet and visible radiation and are suitable for fabrication as arrays.