Ultraviolet Light Sources Incorporating Atmospheric Pressure Micro-Hollow Cathode Discharges

A new deep-ultraviolet light source has been developed which employs a micro-hollow cathode discharge formed in cathode cavities with dimension on the order of 100 um. The hollow-cathode lamp has numerous advantages over other light sources, including operation at relatively low voltages in a quiescent DC or repetitively pulsed mode, linear control of the intensity by controlling the current, scalability to large areas, and a radiant emittance exceeding that of commercially available excimer lamps by more than an order of magnitude. This proposal describes a program to address and resolve key issues for converting this developmental ultraviolet source into a manufacturable, low cost, high radiant emittance, long lifetime, large area excimer lamp which can cover a wavelength range from 76 nm to 308 nm. The work will include incorporating these lamps into a practical system which uses these lamps to deliver ultraviolet light for a number of applications. Applications of these novel excimer lamps include UV polymerization and surface photo-chemistry, photolithography, bacterial decontamination, pollution control, chemical decomposition, generation of radicals, and general lighting.