EP0316189B1 - IR-radiation source and method for producing same - Google Patents

IR-radiation source and method for producing same Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0316189B1
EP0316189B1 EP88310636A EP88310636A EP0316189B1 EP 0316189 B1 EP0316189 B1 EP 0316189B1 EP 88310636 A EP88310636 A EP 88310636A EP 88310636 A EP88310636 A EP 88310636A EP 0316189 B1 EP0316189 B1 EP 0316189B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
chamber
gas
source
radiation
active
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP88310636A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0316189A2 (en
EP0316189A3 (en
Inventor
Shaul Yatsiv
Amnon Gabay
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Yissum Research Development Co of Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Original Assignee
Yissum Research Development Co of Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Yissum Research Development Co of Hebrew University of Jerusalem filed Critical Yissum Research Development Co of Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Publication of EP0316189A2 publication Critical patent/EP0316189A2/en
Publication of EP0316189A3 publication Critical patent/EP0316189A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0316189B1 publication Critical patent/EP0316189B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/12—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/12—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature
    • H01J61/14—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature having one or more carbon compounds as the principal constituents
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/30—Vessels; Containers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/30—Vessels; Containers
    • H01J61/35—Vessels; Containers provided with coatings on the walls thereof; Selection of materials for the coatings
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J65/00—Lamps without any electrode inside the vessel; Lamps with at least one main electrode outside the vessel
    • H01J65/04—Lamps in which a gas filling is excited to luminesce by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation, e.g. for indicating plasma display panels
    • H01J65/042—Lamps in which a gas filling is excited to luminesce by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation, e.g. for indicating plasma display panels by an external electromagnetic field
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J9/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture, installation, removal, maintenance of electric discharge tubes, discharge lamps, or parts thereof; Recovery of material from discharge tubes or lamps
    • H01J9/24—Manufacture or joining of vessels, leading-in conductors or bases
    • H01J9/245—Manufacture or joining of vessels, leading-in conductors or bases specially adapted for gas discharge tubes or lamps
    • H01J9/247—Manufacture or joining of vessels, leading-in conductors or bases specially adapted for gas discharge tubes or lamps specially adapted for gas-discharge lamps

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to sealed-off, molecular gas-discharge sources, without internal electrodes, radiating at discrete, non-coherent and spontaneous emission frequencies in the infra-red (IR) spectrum, and to a method of producing such sources.
  • IR infra-red
  • molecular gas-discharge IR sources are known in the art. These sources are, however, in general of short life span due to dissociation and/or depletion of the IR emitting gas during operation and are weak due to non-radiative relaxation of the excited molecules. Also, the ratio of the IR output to the input power of these known sources, is low. In order to overcome some of these shortcomings, solutions were suggested which include rather complicated structures, such as the device described in Robert A. Young's US-A-3,984,727 and the device described in GB-A-1,591,709, to R.S. Webley.
  • a source of IR-radiation comprising an enclosure defining between its walls a sealed-off, electrode-less chamber, said walls having at least one portion transparent to IR-radiation, characterized in that the sealed-off, electrode-less chamber contains a gas mixture of at least one molecular IR-active gas, at least one buffer gas, and at least one noble gas, said source of IR-radiation emitting discrete, solely non-coherent, spontaneous emission frequencies in the IR-spectrum which are characteristic of the decay of said at least one molecular IR-active gas from its rotational-vibrational state to its ground state.
  • the invention also provides a method for producing a source of IR-radiation, comprising (a) providing an enclosure made of a dielectric material defining between its walls a chamber; (b) soaking said chamber in a cleaning agent; (c) thoroughly rinsing said chamber with distilled de-ionized water; (d) drying said chamber; (e) baking said chamber at a temperature of from about 200 to 300°C; (f) introducing into the chamber at least one noble gas, effecting a discharge in the chamber for a period of time, and emptying said gas from the chamber; (g) filling said chamber with a gas mixture containing at least one, molecular, IR-active gas, at least one buffer gas, and at least one noble gas; (h) effecting a discharge for a period of time in said chamber containing said gas mixture introduced in step (g), emptying said gas mixture from said chamber and filling said chamber with a fresh gas mixture as in step (g); and (i) hermetically sealing-off said chamber.
  • an IR-radiation source 2 constituted by an enclosure 4 defining between its walls a sealed-off chamber 6.
  • the enclosure 4 is made of a dielectric material such as Pyrex R , glass or quartz and has at least one wall 8 transparent to IR-radiation, which radiation, during operation, can be emitted therefrom in the direction of arrows A.
  • the enclosure 4 may, however, be fitted on the outside thereof, with a pair of electrodes 10 and 12 connectable via a cable 14 to an RF driver (not shown) for powering and controlling the source 2.
  • the interior of the enclosure 4 is filled with a gas mixture containing:
  • the molecules are prone to quenching by three different processes: wall quenching, collisional quenching and self quenching.
  • the wall quenching is caused by the diffusion of excited molecules from a location in the bulk of the gaseous medium to the walls of the enclosure where it is rapidly quenched and the excitation is lost.
  • the average diffusion time for an average size of a source operating at gas pressures which are lower than optimal pressures for high output, is several times faster than the radiative life time.
  • the nature of a particular quenching agent depends on the specific emitting molecule and on the excited state. For example the 4.27 emission from the (001) state to the (000) state of a CO2 molecule is particularly susceptible to quenching by collision with water or hydrogen molecules.
  • IR-active molecular species in the source as well as atomic or molecular buffer species should be maintained at bound pressures not exceeding predetermined values. Since diffusion to the walls of the enclosure is faster at reduced pressure, wall quenching and collisional quenching are inter dependent. Thus, only relative large size sources can maintain high emission intensities at considerable power conversion efficiencies.
  • IR-radiation sources built and operated, in accordance with the present invention, are as follows:
  • the total pressure inside the chamber can vary from 1,33 ⁇ 102 Pa to 133 ⁇ 102 Pa (1 to 100 torr).
  • Fig. 2 illustrates the emission intensity of an IR-radiation source comprising CO2, N2, Xe, and He, having relative partial pressures of 1,2,3,3, and a total pressure in the range of 8,0 ⁇ 102 Pa - 3,3 ⁇ 103 Pa 6 - 25 torr.
  • the source has been excited by an RF oscillator operating at a frequency range of 4-7 MHz at an average output power of hundreds of milliwatts.
  • the output from the radiation source is in the order of tens of milliwatts.
  • this term as used herein is meant to encompass, both, the overall size and shape of an enclosure defining a chamber 6 containing the mixture of the gas.
  • the lifetime at the (001) vibrational state of a carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule which produces the 4,27 micron emission is approximately 5 milliseconds.
  • CO2 carbon dioxide
  • the size of the chamber should be small enough so that the diffusion of the molecules to the walls of the chamber will take less than the decay time of the molecule. While for the CO2 molecule the decay time is approximately 5 milliseconds, the decay time for CO (see example No. 4) is about 30 milliseconds.
  • the enclosure 4 is composed of two portions: a first portion of a greater diameter D (about 40 mm) and of a length L (about 50 mm) called the reservoir and of a second portion of a lesser diameter d, (about 15 mm) and of a length 1 (about 30 mm), called the discharge portion or zone.
  • the two electrodes 10 and 12 are coupled onto the discharge zone.
  • the desired gas emission exits the chamber 6 in the direction of arrow A.
  • the major volume of the chamber 6 is utilized as a reservoir for constantly replenishing the discharge zone with the same mixture of gas molecules. This type of source configuration increases the life span and stability of the output power of a source.
  • a modified source 2 having two compartments 14 and 16.
  • a gas mixture according to the invention having a certain active gas, (e.g., CO2).
  • an additional active gas e.g., N2O or any other molecule having a dissociation tendency similar to N2O.
  • N2O an active gas
  • the first active molecule will absorb the characteristic radiation emanating from the compartment 14 and by the collisional V-V process, will excite the second active molecule to its vibrational state.
  • a radiation in direction B of the second active gas will be emitted from the compartment 16, without inducing a gas discharge in it.
  • an essential feature of the present invention is the self-controlled long-life continuous emission IR-radiation source, which is achieved, inter alia, by avoiding, as far as possible, different quenching processes and other causes depleting the IR-active gas in the mixture.
  • it is proposed to pretreat the interior of the enclosure 4 prior to the introduction of the gas mixture therein as follows:
  • the selected gases as described hereinbefore, are introduced into the chamber at the calculated ratios and pressures, the chamber is then hermetically sealed-off.
  • the enclosure materials which normally have high relaxing tendency to the IR-active molecules can be coated with substances which reduce this tendency, for example, Barium Fluoride or Sapphire.
  • the enclosure wall material with a radioactive substance, that while radiating into the chamber, assists in pre-conditioning the gas mixture inside the enclosure for easy ignition.
  • the same effect can be achieved by adding traces of radioactive gas such as 85Kr.
  • IR active gas molecules in order to maintain a preferred level of IR active gas molecules, it is suggested in some cases, to add to the mixture gas molecules which will maintain the concentration of the IR-active gas molecules at the desired level.
  • Such an addition may be constituted by e.g., H2 molecules when the IR-active molecules are CH4.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
  • Crystals, And After-Treatments Of Crystals (AREA)
  • Heating, Cooling, Or Curing Plastics Or The Like In General (AREA)
  • Chemical Vapour Deposition (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Electron Tubes, Discharge Lamp Vessels, Lead-In Wires, And The Like (AREA)
  • Discharge Lamps And Accessories Thereof (AREA)
EP88310636A 1987-11-12 1988-11-11 IR-radiation source and method for producing same Expired - Lifetime EP0316189B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IL84463 1987-11-12
IL84463A IL84463A (en) 1987-11-12 1987-11-12 Ir-radiation source and method for producing same

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0316189A2 EP0316189A2 (en) 1989-05-17
EP0316189A3 EP0316189A3 (en) 1990-08-22
EP0316189B1 true EP0316189B1 (en) 1995-01-18

Family

ID=11058319

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP88310636A Expired - Lifetime EP0316189B1 (en) 1987-11-12 1988-11-11 IR-radiation source and method for producing same

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0316189B1 (xx)
JP (1) JPH01161661A (xx)
AT (1) ATE117462T1 (xx)
CA (1) CA1312114C (xx)
DE (1) DE3852813T2 (xx)
IL (1) IL84463A (xx)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB8914722D0 (en) * 1989-06-27 1989-08-16 Emi Plc Thorn A discharge tube arrangement
GB8920051D0 (en) * 1989-09-05 1989-10-18 Emi Plc Thorn A discharge tube arrangement
GB8922862D0 (en) * 1989-10-11 1989-11-29 Emi Plc Thorn A discharge tube arrangement
DE4120730C2 (de) * 1991-06-24 1995-11-23 Heraeus Noblelight Gmbh Elektrodenlose Niederdruck-Entladungslampe
DE10128915A1 (de) 2001-06-15 2002-12-19 Philips Corp Intellectual Pty Niederdruckgasentladungslampe mit quecksilberfreier Gasfüllung

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3617110A1 (de) * 1986-05-21 1987-11-26 Leybold Heraeus Gmbh & Co Kg Lampe fuer die erzeugung von gas-resonanzstrahlungen

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE3852813D1 (de) 1995-03-02
IL84463A (en) 1992-06-21
CA1312114C (en) 1992-12-29
IL84463A0 (en) 1988-04-29
EP0316189A2 (en) 1989-05-17
DE3852813T2 (de) 1995-08-31
JPH01161661A (ja) 1989-06-26
ATE117462T1 (de) 1995-02-15
EP0316189A3 (en) 1990-08-22

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