The main two settings of diathermy are cutting and coagulation.
Cutting uses a continuous waveform with a low voltage. In cutting mode, the electrode reaches a high enough power to vaporise the water content. Hence it is able to perform a clean cut but is less efficient at coagulating. The cutting mode focuses heat at the surgical site, using sparks being the more focussed way to distribute heat; the cutting mode should therefore be used with the tip slightly away from the tissue.
Coagulation alternatively uses a pulsed waveform with a high voltage. In coagulation, the waveform is at a lower average power, not generating enough heat for explosive vaporisation, but enough for thermal coagulation. The tip should be held slightly away from the tissue, however the sparks are spread over a wider area causing charring rather than cutting.
There is also a mixed (or blend) mode, acting in between as both cutting and coagulating, however this is not widely used
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