Electrical and Optical Characteristics of a Transverse Volume Discharge in Chlorine

The results of investigation of the electrical characteristics and the radiation of the plasma of a transverse volume discharge in chlorine at a pressure of $0.1$–$1.5$ kPa are presented. The discharge is ignited in a volume of $18 \times 2.2 \times (0.5$–$1.0)$ cm$^3$ (the interelectrode gap is $2.2$ cm) at a charging voltage of $5$–$10$ kV. The plasma radiation is investigated in the range of $190$–$900$ nm. A stable volume discharge is obtained with the current pulse duration of up to $100$ ns, which may be used in an ultraviolet bactericidal lamp $(200$–$257$ nm$)$, and in a pulsed plasmachemical reactor for dry etching. The diagnostic bands of a $\text{Cl}_2$ molecule and the spectral lines of a $\text{Cl}$ atom are determined. Their radiation intensity is optimized as a function of the pressure in the discharge chamber.