Removal of the seal area from the path of the lamp discharge eliminates the gradual deterioration of lithium fluoride window surfaces from condensation of products formed by interaction of a resonant rare-gas discharge with window sealing materials. The discharge is confined to the inner tube

Bass, A. M.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

September 1970	 Brief 70-10237 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U .S. space program. They are issued to encourage commercial 
application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical 
Information, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Division, NASA, Code UT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Improved Ultraviolet Resonance Lamp 
The problem: 
To eliminate the gradual deterioration of lithium 
fluoride window surfaces from condensation of prod-
ucts formed 'by interaction of a resonant rare-gas dis-
charge with window sealing material. 
The solution: 
A special design of the resonance discharge tube end 
which removes the seal area from the path of the lamp 
discharge. 
How it's done: 
The discharge tube is attached with a ring-seal to a 
tube of larger diameter. The ends of both tubes are cut 
so that they are coplanar, and the lithium fluoride 
Epoxy Cement Window Seal 
OWNS—	 Fluoride  indow 
ion 
Fused Silica
Detail of Improved Window Seal 
window is then sealed to the periphery of the outer 
tube by an epoxy cement or with any other suitable 
material. In operation, the discharge is confined to
the inner tube (even at the 100% power level of a 
125-watt 2450 MHz microwave generator) and the 
sealing material is subjected only to a vanishingly 
small amount of the discharge energy. Any products 
of decomposition resulting from the interaction of the 
resonant discharge with the sealing material are 
deposited on the unused portions of the window or in 
the end-bell chamber. 
Notes: 
I. The space between the tubes can be evacuated 
readily during the lamp-filling procedure. 
2. Additional information is contained in the follow-
ing: Bass, A.M.: An Improved Design for Vacuum 
Ultraviolet Resonance Lamps, Applied Optics, 
vol. 5, 1967 (1966). 
3. Requests for further information may be directed 
to:
Technology Utilization Officer 
Ames Research Center 
Moffett Field, California 94035 
Reference: TSP70-10237 
Patent status: 
This invention has been patented by NASA (U.S. 
Patent No. 3,493,805) and royalty-free license rights 
will be granted for its commercial development. In-
quiries about obtaining a license should be addressed 
to NASA, Code GP, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Source: A.M. Bass of 
National Bureau of Standards 
under contract to 
Ames Research Center 
(ARC-10030) 
Categoryo I 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United 'States
Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
will be free from privately owned.rights.
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Improved ultraviolet resonance lamp

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