Laser-Driven Light Source for Stable High Brightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high brightness light sources, such as xenon or mercury arc lamps, suffer from issues like wear, contamination, insufficient brightness, especially in the ultraviolet spectrum, and unstable light position due to electrical discharge, and are affected by the chamber walls through which the light passes.
Innovation Solution
A light source that uses a chamber with a laser to ionize a gas, providing energy to create a high brightness light, utilizing optical elements like lenses and mirrors to modify the laser energy and ensure stability, and employing materials like quartz and sapphire for the chamber to maintain light quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If arc lamps are used to produce high brightness light, then light emission is achieved, but the anode and cathode wear and emit particles that contaminate the light source
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the electrodes (anode and cathode) from the light generation process entirely. Instead of using electrical discharge between electrodes to excite the gas, the invention uses direct laser energy coupling to the gas to produce plasma and light emission. This extraction of the electrode component eliminates the source of particle contamination while maintaining high brightness light output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electrical discharge mechanism (mechanical/electrical system involving electrodes) with a laser-based energy delivery system. The laser provides direct optical energy to ionize and excite the gas, substituting the electrode-based electrical field mechanism with a photon-based energy transfer mechanism, thereby eliminating electrode wear and contamination.
2Illumination intensity
If arc lamps are used to produce high brightness light, then light emission is achieved, but the anode and cathode become very hot and are prone to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the electrodes from the system, eliminating the components that undergo thermal stress and wear. The light generation is achieved through direct laser excitation of the gas, which does not require hot electrodes, thereby improving reliability by removing the failure-prone components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the electrical discharge mechanism requiring hot electrodes with a laser-based plasma excitation method. The laser energy directly ionizes and heats the gas to produce light without requiring physical electrodes to become hot, thereby eliminating thermal wear and improving system reliability.
3Illumination intensity
If arc lamps are used to produce high brightness light, then light emission is achieved, but the position of the arc is unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical discharge arc mechanism with a laser-based energy delivery system. The laser beam provides a stable, directed energy source that can be precisely positioned and maintained, eliminating the inherent instability of electrical arcs. The laser's coherent and collimated nature ensures stable energy coupling to the gas, resulting in stable light emission position.
4Illumination intensity
If conventional light sources are used, then light is produced, but the light properties are affected when passing through the chamber wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent generates the light directly within the gas medium using laser excitation, rather than producing light outside the chamber and having it pass through the chamber wall. By changing the location and method of light generation to occur within the transparent chamber, the light properties are established in a medium that does not suffer from wall-induced distortions, thereby maintaining light quality.
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 solution provides a stable, high brightness light source that minimizes contamination and wear, offers improved brightness across the spectrum, and maintains light quality when passing through the chamber walls, addressing the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
an ignition source for ionizing a gas within the chamber
Implementation Method 2
at least one laser for providing energy to the ionized gas within the chamber to produce a high brightness light
Implementation Method 3
providing energy to the ionized gas within the chamber to produce a high brightness light
Implementation Method 4
The optical element can be, for example, a lens (e.g., an aplanatic lens, an achromatic lens, a single element lens, and a fresnel lens)
Implementation Method 5
The optical element can be, for example, a lens (e.g., an aplanatic lens, an achromatic lens, a single element lens, and a fresnel lens) or mirror (e.g., a coated mirror, a dielectric coated mirror, a narrow band mirror, and an ultraviolet transparent infrared reflecting mirror)
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for producing light includes a chamber and an ignition source that ionizes a gas within the chamber. The apparatus also includes at least one laser that provides energy to the ionized gas within the chamber to produce a high brightness light. The laser can provide a substantially continuous amount of energy to the ionized gas to generate a substantially continuous high brightness light.