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Abstract

A plasma sterilization apparatus to prevent color change or hardening of materials, e.g., polymers, by generating plasma in a separate plasma generation chamber and supplying it into a sterilization chamber containing an article to be sterilized. A plasma generation chamber includes electrodes installed in close proximity to each other, preferably separated by 0.5-40 cm, to generate plasma with high density even with a small capacity high frequency power source. The electrodes are connected to a high frequency power source to generate the plasma. An injection heater evaporates an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution used as a microcidal agent, and injects the resulting vapor along with air into the plasma generation chamber. A sterilization chamber communicates with the plasma generation chamber at a remote position through a control valve. A vacuum pump is connected to the sterilization chamber, to form a vacuum state in the sterilization chamber.

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First Claim