Inventors:
John N. Driscoll - Wellesley MA
Assignee:
HNU Systems, Inc. - Newton MA
International Classification:
H01J 61067, H01J 6110, H01J 6140
Abstract:
A gas discharge lamp for emitting vacuum UV radiation, comprising a lamp body filled at low pressure with a gas capable of emitting radiation in the vacuum UV range (e. g. , argon), electrodes within the lamp body for passing an electric field across the gas, a crystalline window (e. g. , lithium fluoride) in the body for transmitting the vacuum UV radiation emitted by the gas, wherein the crystalline window is constructed of a material that, when exposed to the vacuum UV radiation emitted by the gas, forms color centers that block transmission of the radiation through the window, and a bleaching element located within the lamp body for emitting color-center bleaching radiation in response to the electric field degrading emission of the vacuum UV radiation, the bleaching radiation being in a frequency band (e. g. , 5-6 eV) lower than the vacuum UV radiation.