A discharge lamp includes a discharge vessel. A xenon gas is sealed within the discharge vessel so as to serve as a light emitting gas, the discharge vessel is made from quartz glass, a pair of electrodes are arranged so as to face each other in the discharge vessel, and the discharge vessel has a chip portion. The chip portion is made from a glass member that has a composition different from that of the discharge vessel, and the glass member has a transmittance of 50% or more over a wavelength range from 170 nm to 300 nm.

A sulfur plasma lamp has a lamp envelope of transparent or translucent glass or ceramic material. At least two silicon carbide electrodes are hermetically sealed with the lamp envelope and in contact with an interior of the lamp envelope. A quantity of sulfur within the interior of the lamp envelope is sufficient to create a sulfur plasma upon excitation. A buffer gas within the interior of the lamp envelope enables initial discharge and heating of the interior of the lamp envelope to excite the sulfur into a plasma state. More than two electrodes may be provided, and an electrical potential is created between different pairs of the electrodes at different times, thereby inducing stirring of the plasma upon excitation of the material into a plasma state.

A laser-sustained plasma lamp includes a gas containment structure configured to contain a volume of gas. The gas containment structure is configured to receive pump illumination from a pump laser for generating a plasma within the volume of gas. The gas containment structure includes one or more transmissive structures being at least partially transparent to the pump illumination from the pump laser and at least a portion of the broadband radiation emitted by the plasma. The one or more transmissive structures have a graded absorption profile so as to control heating of the one or more transmissive structures caused by the broadband radiation emitted by the plasma.

An embodiment of a system includes an RF signal source, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a cavity configured to receive an electrodeless bulb. The RF signal source is configured to generate an RF signal. The first electrode is configured to receive the RF signal and to convert the RF signal into electromagnetic energy that is radiated by the first electrode. The cavity is defined by first and second boundaries that are separated by a distance that is less than the wavelength of the RF signal so that the cavity is sub-resonant. The first electrode is physically positioned at the first boundary, and the second electrode is physically positioned at the second boundary. The first electrode, the second electrode, and the cavity form a structure that is configured to capacitively couple the electromagnetic energy into the electrodeless bulb when the electrodeless bulb is positioned within the cavity.

An embodiment of a system includes an RF signal source, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a cavity configured to receive an electrodeless bulb. The RF signal source is configured to generate an RF signal. The first electrode is configured to receive the RF signal and to convert the RF signal into electromagnetic energy that is radiated by the first electrode. The cavity is defined by first and second boundaries that are separated by a distance that is less than the wavelength of the RF signal so that the cavity is sub-resonant. The first electrode is physically positioned at the first boundary, and the second electrode is physically positioned at the second boundary. The first electrode, the second electrode, and the cavity form a structure that is configured to capacitively couple the electromagnetic energy into the electrodeless bulb when the electrodeless bulb is positioned within the cavity.

A discharge lamp lighting device includes a control unit adapted to control a frequency of the AC electric current supplied to a discharge lamp by a feeding unit, in different manners within a first term and a second term which are alternately repeated, the control unit is adapted to control the frequency of the AC electric current such that, within the first term, the frequency of the AC electric current becomes at least one frequency out of plural set frequencies, and is further adapted to control the frequency of the AC electric current, based on a predetermined frequency and an electric current within the previous first term, such that, within the second term, the frequency of the AC electric current becomes a frequency lower than this predetermined frequency.

A discharge lamp lighting device includes a control unit adapted to control a frequency of the AC electric current supplied to a discharge lamp by a feeding unit, in different manners within a first term and a second term which are alternately repeated, the control unit is adapted to control the frequency of the AC electric current such that, within the first term, the frequency of the AC electric current becomes at least one frequency out of plural set frequencies, and is further adapted to control the frequency of the AC electric current, based on a predetermined frequency and an electric current within the previous first term, such that, within the second term, the frequency of the AC electric current becomes a frequency lower than this predetermined frequency.

A discharge lamp lighting device includes a control unit adapted to control a frequency of the AC electric current supplied to a discharge lamp by a feeding unit, in different manners within a first term and a second term which are alternately repeated, the control unit is adapted to control the frequency of the AC electric current such that, within the first term, the frequency of the AC electric current becomes at least one frequency out of plural set frequencies, and is further adapted to control the frequency of the AC electric current, based on a predetermined frequency and an electric current within the previous first term, such that, within the second term, the frequency of the AC electric current becomes a frequency lower than this predetermined frequency.

A radiation source apparatus comprising: a container comprising walls for defining a space for containing a gaseous medium in which plasma which emits plasma emitted radiation is generated following excitation of the gaseous medium by a driving radiation; and a thermal load applicator adapted to apply a thermal load to at least part of the walls of the container to reduce stresses in the walls.

The present invention relates to a lamp having synthetic ceramic glass electrodes, which comprises a glass tube, a plurality of synthetic ceramic glass electrodes, and a plurality of connecting members. The plurality of connecting members are disposed between the glass tube and the plurality of synthetic ceramic glass electrodes. The plurality of connecting members have different thermal expansion coefficients. Thereby, by using the plurality of connecting members to connect the plurality of synthetic ceramic glass electrodes, the glass tube and the plurality of synthetic ceramic glass electrodes can be sealed tightly.