Abstract: In this paper, a rod-rod dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) structure is designed, and an AC voltage is applied to drive the CO₂ discharge. The influence of the voltage amplitude and the frequency on the optical and electrical characteristics of the CO₂ dielectric barrier discharge is investigated. It is shown that as the voltage increases, the number of the discharge current pulses and the filament discharge channels increase, along with the increase of the current peak value and the discharge power; the discharge is gradually observed from a single channel to multiple channels, move randomly, and finally expands along the surface of the medium. The change rate of the discharge power varies in the voltage range, mainly related to the size of the discharge area. With the increase of the frequency, the initial discharge voltage increases slightly, while the extinction voltage decreases, and the discharge intensity increases with the discharge area remaining basically unchanged. Under a voltage of 15 kV, different current pulses can be seen corresponding to the breakdown process at different times and at the same location. For positive or negative discharge, the discharge of the second pulse is stronger in intensity than that of the first pulse, and a bright region is formed in the instantaneous cathode, mainly related to the residual particles of the first discharge.