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 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.

An apparatus and a method for operating a sealed high intensity illumination lamp configured to receive a laser beam from a laser light source. The lamp includes a sealed chamber configured to contain an ionizable medium having a plasma sustaining region, and a plasma ignition region. A high intensity light egress window emits high intensity light from the chamber. A substantially flat ingress window located within a wall of the chamber admits the laser beam into the chamber. The lamp includes means for controlled increasing and decreasing a pressure level within the sealed chamber while the lamp is producing the high intensity illumination.

A laser sustained plasma lamp includes a mechanically sealed pressurized chamber assembly (330) configured to contain an ionizable material. The chamber assembly is bounded by a chamber tube (310), an ingress sapphire window (340), a first metal seal ring (320) configured to seal against the chamber tube ingress end and the ingress sapphire window, an egress sapphire window (342), and a second metal seal ring (322) configured to seal against the chamber tube egress end and the egress sapphire window. A mechanical clamping structure (350, 355) external to the chamber assembly is configured to clamp across at least a portion of the ingress sapphire window and the egress sapphire window. The ingress sapphire window and the egress sapphire window are not connected to the chamber tube via welding and/or brazing.

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.

Devices and methods related to flat discharge tubes. In some embodiments, a gas discharge tube (GDT) device can include a first insulator substrate having first and second sides and defining an opening. The GDT device can further include second and third insulator substrates mounted to the first and second sides of the first insulator substrate with first and second seals, respectively, such that inward facing surfaces of the second and third insulator substrates and the opening of the first insulator substrate define a chamber. The GDT device can further include first and second electrodes implemented on the respective inward facing surfaces of the second and third insulator substrates, and first and second terminals implemented on at least one external surface of the GDT device. The GDT device can further include electrical connections implemented between the first and second electrodes and the first and second terminals, respectively.

In some embodiments, an electrodeless lamp may be provided. The lamp may include an outer tube and an inner tube. The inner tube may be sealed to the outer tube to define a sealed space in which a gas may be contained. The gas may be configured to emit electromagnetic radiation when an electromagnetic field is applied thereto.

An apparatus and a method for operating a sealed beam lamp containing an ionizable medium are disclosed. The lamp includes a sealed chamber, a pair of ignition electrodes, a substantially flat chamber ingress window, and a laser light source disposed outside the chamber producing laser light. Laser light is focused to a first focal region coinciding with an ignition region disposed between the ignition electrodes. The ionizable medium at the ignition region is ignited with the laser. The laser light is focused to a second focal region coinciding with a plasma sustaining region not co-located with the plasma ignition region.

There is provided a light-emitting device capable of suppressing a decrease in a light emission amount. A light-emitting device including a container member including a ceramic package provided with a depressed portion serving as a discharge space, and a light transmitting member which is attached to the ceramic package via a joining layer formed of a joining material so as to close the depressed portion; an inert gas encapsulated inside the discharge space; and a couple of discharge electrodes which are disposed in the depressed portion of the ceramic package so as to be spaced from each other, the joining material including glass exhibiting a white color, and oxide ceramic powder.

There is provided a light-emitting device capable of suppressing a decrease in a light emission amount. A light-emitting device including a container member including a ceramic package provided with a depressed portion serving as a discharge space, and a light transmitting member which is attached to the ceramic package via a joining layer formed of a joining material so as to close the depressed portion; an inert gas encapsulated inside the discharge space; and a couple of discharge electrodes which are disposed in the depressed portion of the ceramic package so as to be spaced from each other, the joining material including glass exhibiting a white color, and oxide ceramic powder.