High intensity lamp apparatus and method of operation thereof

Claim 1

High intensity lamp apparatus comprising: a. a far U.V. emitting discharge means including: a1. an evacuable hermetically sealed U.V. transmissive envelope, a2. a pair of discharge electrodes disposed within said U.V. transmissive envelope and sustaining in operation an electric discharge in excess of 1 A/cm2, a3. a quantity of a vaporizable ionizable metal within said envelope sufficient to produce a partial pressure thereof of approximately 10 4 to 1 torr under lamp operating conditions, a31. said metal emitting far U.V. ionic radiation at wavelengths of from 1,650 to 2,300 A.U. under excitation by discharge current densities of in excess of 1 A/cm2 at said pressure, and b. Current waveform shaping means operatively connected with said discharge electrodes and receiving normal fluorescent operating current input to control and modify said input current to provide a shaped current waveform during each period of operation having a value of current in excess of the maximum value of said input current and being sufficient to excite said metal to ionic radiant emission during a portion of each period of approximately 5 to 40% of the period thereof and a minimal ionizing value insufficient to cause ionic emission for the remainder of said period while maintaining substantially the same average current input during said period.

Claim 7

The method of stimulating a lamp having a radiation species emitting ionic radiation selected from the group consisting of mercury, cadmium, and zinc enclosed between a pair of discharge electrodes and mixed with a partial pressure of a few torr of a noble gas with controlled current excitation which method comprises: (a) supplying a current waveform having a predetermined excitation period to said discharge electrodes; (b) electronically controlling the current supplied to said discharge electrodes during a portion of approximately 5 to 40% of each said excitation period of operation to shape the current waveform during said portion to have a value in excess of the normal maximum operating current of said lamp and sufficient to raise excited vapors of said metal to a state at which far UV ionic radiation exponentially Dependent upon current value is emitted; (c) further electronically controlling the current supplied to said discharge electrodes during the remaining portion of each said excitation period of opeation to further shape the current waveform during said remaining portion to have a current valve insufficient to stimulate excited vapors of said metal to said ionic emission but sufficient to maintain vapors of said metal in a vaporized and ionized state; (d) said values of current supplied to said discharge electrodes during the UV ionic radiation emitting portion of said excitation period and the remainder of said excitation period being of such magnitude that the average current input to said discharge electrodes during said excitation period maintains the same average value of current input thereto as is supplied under normal current waveform operation during said excitation period; (e) said lamp emitting ionic radiation due to said controlled current excitation which is greater in intensity than that achievable under normal waveform excitation at the same value of average current.

Claim 8

The method of stimulating a lamp having a radiation species emitting ionic radiation selected from the group consisting of mercury, cadmium, and zinc enclosed between a pair of discharge electrodes and mixed with a partial pressure of a few torr of a noble gas with controlled current excitation which method comprises: (a) supplying a current waveform having a predetermined excitation period to said discharge electrodes; (b) electronically controlling the current supplied to said discharge electrodes during a portion of approximately 5 to 40% of each said excitation period of operation to shape the current waveform during said portion to have a value in excess of the normal maximum operating current of said lamp and sufficient to raise excited vapors of said metal to a state at which far UV ionic radiation exponentially Dependent upon current value is emitted; (c) further electronically controlling the current supplied to said discharge electrodes during the remaining portion of each said excitation period of opeation to further shape the current waveform during said remaining portion to have a current valve insufficient to stimulate excited vapors of said metal to said ionic emission but sufficient to maintain vapors of said metal in a vaporized and ionized state; (d) said values of current supplied to said discharge electrodes during the UV ionic radiation emitting portion of said excitation period and the remainder of said excitation period being of such magnitude that the average current input to said discharge electrodes during said excitation period maintains the same average value of current input thereto as is supplied under normal current waveform operation during said excitation period; (e) said lamp emitting ionic radiation due to said controlled current excitation which is greater in intensity than that achievable under normal waveform excitation at the same value of average current.