University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Investigation of Microcavity Plasma Devices as Plasma Audio Speakers

Choi, Dong San

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Description

Title
The Investigation of Microcavity Plasma Devices as Plasma Audio Speakers
Author(s)
Choi, Dong San
Contributor(s)
Park, Sung-Jin
Issue Date
2012-05
Keyword(s)
  • plasma devices
  • microcavity plasma devices
  • electrical arc
  • singing arc
  • audio speakers
Abstract
"The ""singing arc"" was invented by William Duddell in the early 1900s to explain the hum produced by an electrical arc between two electrodes in arc lamps. He also demonstrated that the hum could be changed into musical notes by controlling current fluctuations in the arc. Recently, there has been an increase in interest in the plasma speaker because of its superb quality in the high-frequency range. Many plasma speaker demonstrations by do-it-yourself enthusiasts can be found online on YouTube. However, hazardous ozone byproducts and the use of high voltage on the order of kilovolts are some problems that concern the commercial use of these types of plasma speakers. At the Laboratory for Optical Physics and Engineering at the University of Illinois, the research team have focused on research for confining plasma in microcavity plasma devices with apertures on the order of micrometers. This investigation attempts to build these microcavity plasma devices using different fabrication models to modify them as miniature, compact audio speakers. These devices operate in air, and there have been many challenges involving plasma stability and plasma confinement. The results are promising as audible sound was produced by changing the carrier frequency during preliminary tests."
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/46482

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