High frequency excitation waveform for efficient operation of a xenon excimer dielectric barrier discharge lamp

The application of a high frequency (∼2.5 MHz) burst (amplitude-modulated sinusoidal) excitation voltage waveform is investigated for driving a fluorescent dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) light source. The excitation waveform presents a novel method for generating spatially stable homogeneous Xe DBD possessing a high conversion efficiency from electrical energy to VUV Xe2* excimer radiation (∼172 nm), even at a significantly higher electrical energy deposition than realized by pulsed excitation. Simulation and experimental results predict discharge efficiencies around 60%. Lamp efficacy above 74 lm W-1 has been achieved. VUV emission and loss mechanisms are investigated extensively and the performance of burst and pulsed waveforms is compared both theoretically and experimentally.