Excimer Lamp with Vacuum Insulation for Creeping Discharge Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional excimer lamps with single-cylinder tubular structures face issues with creeping discharge and low radiation output due to electrical breakdowns, especially when high voltages are applied, leading to reliability concerns and inefficient light emission.
Innovation Solution
A single tubular excimer lamp design with a noble gas or halogen gas discharge chamber, paired electrodes on the exterior surface, and an outer tube covering the chamber and electrodes, with a vacuum insulation space between the outer tube and discharge chamber to prevent creeping discharge and allow high-voltage operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If high voltage is applied to achieve high radiation output, then emission intensity is improved, but creeping discharge and electrical breakdown occur reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
A dielectric layer is introduced as an intermediary between the electrode and the discharge chamber. This dielectric barrier prevents direct contact and eliminates creeping discharge along the electrode surface, while still allowing the high voltage to generate the required excimer radiation through controlled discharge across the dielectric layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge chamber is filled with noble gas or halogen gas at controlled pressure, creating an inert atmospheric environment that enables stable high-voltage discharge. The specific gas composition and pressure are optimized to prevent unwanted electrical breakdown while maintaining high radiation output.
2Reliability
If dual-cylinder tubular structure is used to prevent creeping discharge, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The creeping discharge prevention function is extracted from the complex dual-cylinder structure and implemented through a simpler single-cylinder design with a dielectric-coated electrode. The dielectric coating on the electrode surface provides the necessary insulation to prevent creeping discharge without requiring an additional outer cylinder.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode structure is modified by changing its surface properties through dielectric coating. This parameter change (surface insulation) provides creeping discharge prevention while maintaining the simple single-cylinder geometry, avoiding the complexity of dual-cylinder structures.
3Volume of moving object
If electrode edge portions are positioned close to discharge chamber edges for compactness, then device size is reduced, but electrical breakdown occurs reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The dielectric layer serves as a mediator between the electrode edge and the discharge chamber edge. It provides electrical insulation that prevents breakdown even when the electrode is positioned close to the chamber edge, enabling compact design without sacrificing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation problem is solved by adding a dimensional element (the dielectric coating thickness) rather than increasing the lateral distance between electrode and chamber edges. This allows compact radial dimensions while maintaining electrical safety through the dielectric barrier.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances reliability and allows for high-emission output by preventing creeping discharge and electrical breakdowns, enabling the application of high voltages while maintaining a compact and efficient light-emitting structure.
Implementation Method 1
an excimer lamp that radiates an excimer ray by either dielectric barrier discharge or capacitively-coupled high-frequency discharge
Implementation Method 2
an excimer lamp that radiates an excimer ray by either dielectric barrier discharge or capacitively-coupled high-frequency discharge
Implementation Method 3
Excimer molecules occur from either dielectric barrier discharge or capacitively-coupled high-frequency discharge
Implementation Method 4
an outer tube configured to cover the discharge chamber and the electrodes, wherein an interior of a space formed between the outer tube and the discharge chamber is in a vacuum state necessary and sufficient for preventing discharge
Data Source
AI summary
An excimer lamp has a single tubular discharge chamber configured to enclose a discharge gas that is a noble gas or a mixing gas consisting of a noble gas and a halogen gas; a pair of electrodes configured to be arranged along opposite sides of the exterior surface of the discharge chamber; and an outer tube configured to cover the discharge chamber and the electrodes. Excimer molecules are produced by either dielectric barrier discharge or capacitive-coupled high-frequency discharge. An interior of a space formed between the outer tube and the discharge chamber is either in a vacuum state that is necessary and sufficient for preventing discharge, or is filled with an arc-suppression gas.