Effectively controlling the spatial distribution of filaments and improving their physical properties are crucial for advancing the applications of dielectric barrier discharge. In this work, we report a dielectric barrier discharge device to simultaneously regulate filament distribution and improve their physical properties by covering the dielectric surface with a metal lattice sheet. With increasing applied voltage, this structure gives rise to several stable filamentary patterns, including a three-dimensional pattern composed of normal filaments and trifurcated filaments with three branches extending along the metal grid. It is demonstrated that the extensions originate from the metal sheet by covering a vertex with a dielectric and replacing the metal sheet with a glass plate. The physical properties of two types of filaments are measured by using an intensified charge-coupled device, photomultiplier tubes, and optical emission spectroscopy. The results reveal that charge transport along the metal grid increases the electron density and prolongs the discharge duration. These findings provide a strategy for dielectric barrier discharge control and plasma structure engineering.

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• Electronic excitation & ionization
• Pattern formation
• Plasma sources
• Plasma stability
• Plasma-solid interactions
• Optical spectroscopy