Exposure Apparatus Socket Ventilation for Mercury Lamp Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exposure apparatuses face challenges in achieving high cooling efficiency for mercury lamps due to poor ventilation design, leading to increased temperature, oxidation, and reduced lifespan, with existing solutions either complicating the configuration or increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
The exposure apparatus incorporates a holding part with a ventilation pipe forming a path through the socket's bottom surface, allowing for direct and efficient supply of a cooling medium to the metal members, enhancing cooling efficiency while minimizing the risk of oxidation and fragment scattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling nozzle is disposed in the vicinity of an opening in a circumferential surface, then cooling efficiency can be improved, but there is a risk of dielectric breakdown between the nozzle and lamp electrode, preventing the nozzle from being located close to the electrode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cooling medium (gas or liquid) as an intermediary substance that transfers heat away from the metal member without requiring direct contact between the cooling nozzle and the high-voltage electrode area. The cooling medium flows through a passage that allows thermal energy transfer while maintaining electrical insulation, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving close cooling and avoiding dielectric breakdown.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic or hydraulic cooling by circulating a cooling medium through a dedicated passage system. This allows efficient heat removal from the metal member through fluid convection and conduction, enabling the cooling system to operate effectively without requiring the nozzle to be positioned in the high-risk electrical zone.
2Temperature
If cooling gas is introduced from a bottom surface and discharged from a side surface, then cooling efficiency is improved, but it becomes difficult to directly aim at the part needing cooling the most at the end portion of the sealing tube
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimensional approach by introducing cooling from the bottom surface (vertical dimension) rather than attempting to approach the target from the side (horizontal dimension). The cooling passage is configured to extend upward from the bottom, allowing the cooling medium to reach the metal member from below and effectively cool the end portion of the sealing tube without requiring lateral positioning adjustments.
3Temperature
If openings for ventilation are formed in a circumferential surface and tail end surface, then a flow path for cooling gas can be formed, but cooling gas flow through side surface openings is inefficient and requires complex nozzle positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the complex side-surface nozzle system and relocates it to a simplified bottom-surface entry point. By taking out the cooling medium introduction from the problematic circumferential opening location and placing it at the bottom surface, the system eliminates the need for complex nozzle positioning while maintaining effective cooling capability through the redesigned passage geometry.
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
This configuration significantly improves cooling efficiency by pinpoint cooling of metal members, extending the lifespan of mercury lamps and reducing manufacturing costs by simplifying the design and eliminating the need for additional alignment mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling part which cools the metal member by supplying a cooling medium to the metal member in the socket through the ventilation pipe
Data Source
AI summary
An exposure apparatus comprising a holding part for holding an electric discharge lamp, the electric discharge lamp includes an electric discharge tube which covers an electric discharge space in which a pair of electrodes are disposed to face each other, a socket provided on one end of the electric discharge tube, a metal member which guides one of the pair of electrodes into the socket, wherein an opening for ventilation is provided in a bottom of the socket, the holding part includes a ventilation pipe to form a path for ventilation through the opening in the bottom of the socket, and a cooling part for cooling the metal member by supplying a cooling medium to the metal member through the ventilation pipe.