A gliding arc is one of the atmospheric-pressure plasmas and available for surface treatment. However, when this gliding arc is used to irradiate conductive materials, arc spots appear on the surface and seriously damage it. In the present study, in order to prevent such arc spot damage on a conductive substrate, a split gliding arc was designed with a multi-hole plate placed at the exit window. This split gliding arc was irradiated onto several metals, and its ability to treat the hydrophilic property was verified. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.