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GB2191888A - Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp - Google Patents

Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2191888A
GB2191888A GB08613682A GB8613682A GB2191888A GB 2191888 A GB2191888 A GB 2191888A GB 08613682 A GB08613682 A GB 08613682A GB 8613682 A GB8613682 A GB 8613682A GB 2191888 A GB2191888 A GB 2191888A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
envelope
tio2
fused silica
wall
discharge lamp
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB08613682A
Other versions
GB8613682D0 (en
Inventor
Tetsu Takemura
Hidetoshi Ichinose
Keisuke Ohkubo
Akihiko Sugitani
Toshiyuki Okamoto
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ushio Denki KK
Original Assignee
Ushio Denki KK
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ushio Denki KK filed Critical Ushio Denki KK
Priority to GB08613682A priority Critical patent/GB2191888A/en
Priority to DE19863619887 priority patent/DE3619887C2/en
Priority to NL8601556A priority patent/NL194454C/en
Publication of GB8613682D0 publication Critical patent/GB8613682D0/en
Publication of GB2191888A publication Critical patent/GB2191888A/en
Priority to US07/405,571 priority patent/US4985275A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01JELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02Details
    • H01J61/30Vessels; Containers
    • H01J61/35Vessels; Containers provided with coatings on the walls thereof; Selection of materials for the coatings

Landscapes

  • Glass Compositions (AREA)
  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)

Abstract

A fused silica envelope for use in a discharge lamp is provided with TiO2 at its inner surface to filter out the ozone-producing UV radiation of wavelength less than 200 nm, wherein the Ti concentration in a range of 1 mu m-10 mu m from the inner surface of the wall of the envelope is 0.5%-7% in terms of TiO2, and the product of the overall average Ti concentration and the depth of penetration of the TiO2 from the inner surface of the wall of the envelope ranges from 3.7% mu m to 42% mu m. A layer of TiO2 0.1-1 mu m thick may first be formed on the inner wall of the envelope by coating with titanium tetraethoxide mixed with ethanol and acetic acid, and heating, and thereafter the TiO2 is diffused into the envelope by baking at at least 1720 DEG C. Alternatively, the envelope may be coated with a liquid mixture of titanium alcoholate and silicon alcoholate which is dried and then baked to form an amorphous SiO2 layer containing TiO2 appropriately dispersed therein. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp This invention relates to a fused silica envelope for a discharge lamp, and more specifically to a fused silica envelope suitable for use in providing an ozone-free discharge lamp.
Many of discharge lamps led by xenon lamps and mercury vapor lamps, radiate light which contains an ultraviolet ray having a wavelength of 200 nm or shorter. An ultraviolet ray having a wavelength of 200 nm or shorter causes oxygen, which is contained in air, to react so that ozone is formed. Ozone is harmful to human bodies. Accordingly, its formation has to be avoided except that ozone is positively utilized for cleaning, sterilization or the like. Namely, it is necessary to prevent an ultraviolet ray having a wavelength of 200 nm or shorter from being given off from a discharge lamp. For this purpose, the envelopes of discharge lamps are formed with a socalled ozone-free fused silica glass which does not permit transmission of ultraviolet rays having wavelengths of 200 nm and shorter.A fused silica glass doped with TiO2 and containing Ti atoms dispersed therein may, for example, be used as the ozone-free fused silica glass.
If an envelope made of a fused silica glass, in which Ti atoms are not evenly dispersed and the diffusion of the Ti atoms are hence non-uniform, is used for the fabrication of a xenon lamp by way of example, tensile stresses are caused to occur in an inner surface layer of the wall of the envelope by ultraviolet rays radiated from the discharge arc. As a result, cracks occur in the envelope in a short period of time so that the service life of the xenon lamp is reduced. In some cases, strain is developed as early as several hours of lighting, resulting in fracture of the envelopes after being lit for 100 hours or so.
The above problem does not arise if use is made of an envelope made of a high-quality, ozone-free, fused silica glass with Ti atoms dispersed uniformly therein. It is however necessary to melt TiO2 and SiO2 at an elevated temperature for many hours in order to produce a fused silica glass with Ti atoms dispersed uniformly. Its production is therefore very time-consuming and cumbersome and its price is accordingly high.
With the foregoing problems in view, the present invention has as its object the provision of a fused silica envelope which can be produced with ease, has good durability, prevents completely transmission of ultraviolet rays having wavelengths of 200 nm and shorter, and is hence suitable for use in an ozonefree discharge lamp.
In one aspect of this invention, there is thus provided a fused silica envelope for a discharge lamp, wherein the Ti concentration in a range of 1 ,um-10,um from the inner surface of the wall of the envelope is 0.5Yo-7% in terms of TiO2 and the product of the overall average Ti concentration and the thickness of the wall of the envelope ranges from 3.7 cm to 42 %item.
The present invention has brought about numerous advantages. For example, it has made it possible to provide with ease a fused silica envelope suitable for use in an ozonefree discharge lamp which has good durability and can completely absorb ultraviolet rays having wavelengths of 200 nm and shorter.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended Claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a curvilinear diagram showing u.v. transmission characteristics of a fused silica envelope according to the present invention; Figure 2 schematically illustrates the production step of the fused silica envelope; and Figure 3 is a curvilinear diagram showing the TiO2 concentration as a factor of the depth from the inner surface of the wall of the envelope.
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings: The wall thicknesses of the envelopes of discharge lamps are generally 2-5 mm or so.
In conventional ozone-free fused silica envelopes, TiO2 is dispersed at a concentration of 100 ppm or so throughout the envelopes.
Non-uniform diffusion of Ti atoms however tends to occur due to the nature of their production process. As understood from the above-described features of the present invention, unlike the conventional envelopes, a layer with TiO2 dispersed at a high concentration therein is formed at the precisely-specified depth from the inner surface of the wall of an envelope according to this invention and the remaining major portion of the wall of the envelope may not always require diffusion of TiO2. The present inventors have found that the problem of non-uniform diffusion of TiO2 can be avoided in the above manner when its diffusion along the envelope is taken into consideration, leading to completion of the present invention.
The range in which TiO2 is dispersed at a high concentration is limited to 1 Hm to 10 ,um from the inner surface for the following reasons. Namely, it is difficut to disperse TiO2 only in a layer thinner than 1,um in such a manner that conditions for ozone-free fused silica glass are met. On the other hand, it is also difficult to disperse TiO2 at a high concentration in a layer deeper than 10 ,um.
Moreover, diffusion of TiO2 to a depth beyond 10 Am is more or less prone to occurrence of its non-uniform diffusion.
The concentration of TiO2 is determined in view of desired characteristics as an ozonefree fused silica glass and limitations imposed from a production technique to be employed for diffusing TiO2 efficiently at such a high concentration. If the overall average concentration of TiO2 and the thickness of the wall of an envelope falls within the range of 3.7 O/ollm and 42 %jim, u.v. transmission characteristics featuring complete absorption of ulraviolet rays of 200 nm and shorter can be obtained, as shown in Fig. 1 by way of example. If the product is smaller than 3.7 %,am, it is impossible to satisfy the conditions for ozone-free fused silica glasses. Any products greater than 42 %jim result in absorption of ultraviolet rays having longer wavelengths.The TiO2 concentration has been defined to 0.5%-7% within the narrow depth range from the inner surface of the wall of the envelope, because this specific depth range permits efficient diffusion of TiO2 while satisfying the conditions for ozonefree fused silica glasses. Namely, any concentrations lower than 0.5% encounter difficulties in meeting the conditions for ozone-free fused silica glasses. On the other hand, it is difficult and wasteful to disperse TiO2 efficiently at a high concentration higher than 7%.
Certain production examples will next be described to explain the fact that fused silica envelopes of this invention can be produced easily and efficiently.
In order to disperse TiO2 at a high concentration in an extremely thin layer from the inner surface of the wall of an envelope, it is for example possible to diffuse TiO2 from the inner surface or bake a TiO2-SiO2 glass layer, which contains TiO2 at a high concentration, on the inner surface.
First of all, a description will be made of a process for diffusing TiO2 from the inner surface. A coating formulation is prepared by using titanium tetraethoxide [Ti(OC2H5)4] as a solute and adding, as a solvent, a mixture of ethanol as a principal component and a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid in such an amount that the concentration of the resultant coating formulation is 30 g/l or so in terms of TiO2. As illustrated in Fig. 2, a starting fused silica tube 1 is placed at one of its open ends in the coating formulation L filled in a vessel V. Air is extracted from the interior of the tube 1 through the other open end thereof by means of an aspirator the illustration of which is omitted in the drawing, thereby allowing the coating formulation L to rise.By allowing the coating formulation L to descend while controlling its descending speed, the coating formulation is applied on the inner surface of the starting fused silica tube 1 to a certain thickness. The starting fused silica tube 1 with the coating formulation applied thereon is naturally dried, followed by its preheating at about 1500C for 10 minutes and then by its heat treatment at a temperature of 250"C or higher for 10 minutes. By this procedure, a layer of 0.1-1 jim thick is formed on the inner surface. The above procedure may be repeated as needed.
Thereafter, TiO2 is caused to difuse into the wall of the fused silica tube by a baking treatment. This can be done by heating the coated tube at a temperature of 17200C or higher, or preferably 1 8000C or higher by an oxyhydrogen burner. This treatment can be applied simultaneously with the formation of a bulb-like portion by inflating the tube 1 whle maintaining the tube 1 in a heated and molten state by the oxyhydrogen burner. It is therefore unnecessary to add a separate apparatus and step specifically for the diffusion.
Fig. 1 is a curvilinear diagram showing the spectral transmittance of the wall of a fused silica envelope for a xenon discharge lamp, which has been treated in the above-described manner. The envelope is about 16 mm in inner diameter and about 2 mm in thickness.
The envelope has been obtained by forming a thin layer of titanium oxide on its inner surface and then firing it at 800"C for 10 minutes.
The product of the overall average Ti concentration in terms of TiO2 and the thickness of the wall of the envelope is 22 %jim. This envelope is useful, for example, in fabricating a xenon discharge lamp having a rated power consumption of 1 KW.
Fig. 3 is a curvilinear diagram showing the relationship between the TiO2 concentration and the depth from the inner surface in the wall of the above envelope. As apparent from this drawing, it is readily envisaged that the TiO2 concentration is about 3% to a depth of 5 jim or so from the inner surface and substantially no TiO2 is diffused at the depth of 10 jim from the inner surface. The concentration and depth of diffused TiO2 can be varied by controlling the concentration of the coating formulation L and its coated thickness, the temperature and time of the baking, etc.
The diffusion is completed by the above procedure. The application of the coating formulation can be effected with ease. The heat treatment of the coated layer of the coating formulation is complete at a low temperature in a short period of time. Moreover, the diffusion of TiO2 is conducted at the same time as the formation of the buib-like portion. The above operations are therefore very easy and efficient.
A description will next be made on a process for baking an amorphous SiO2 layer, which contains TiO2 at a high concentration, on the inner surface.
A liquid mixture of a titanium alcoholate and silicon alcoholate is prepared as a coating formulation. In this coating formulation, the concentration of titanium is controlled at 1-7% in terms of Ti02/(SiO2+Ti02). The application of the coating formulation to the inner surface of the envelope is effected in the same manner as that shown in Fig. 2. After naturally drying the thus-coated envelope, it is dried at about 150"C. The coating is applied to a desired thickness of 1 jim-lO jim by repeating the above procedure as needed. Upon heat treatment of the thus-coated envelope at a temperature of 500"C or higher or preferably 800"C or higher, an amorphous SiO2 layer is baked. In this layer, TiO2 has already been dispersed as required in the present invention.
It is understood that the present process is also easy and efficient like the above-described diffusion process.
By using a fused silica envelope produced in the above-described manner, a xenon lamp was assembled and then lit. Even after passage of 1,000 hours since its lighting, it did not develop any strain in the envelope, and no suggestion of fracture. It therefore demonstrated that its durability is sufficiently high.
Since its u.v. transmission characteristics were as shown in Fig. 1, ultraviolet rays having wavelengths shorter than 200 nm and shorter were absorbed and were not allowed to penetrate to the outside. Therefore, it can successfully function as an ozone-free fused silica glass.
The term "discharge lamp" as used herein is not necessarily limited to mean xenon lamps. Needless to say, envelopes according to this invention can be used in various discharge lamps, including, rare gas discharge lamps, metal vapor discharge lamps such as mercury vapor lamps, and flash discharge lamps.
Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the following Claims.

Claims (5)

1. A fused silica envelope for a discharge lamp, characterised in that the Ti concentration in a range of 1 ,um-10 jim from the inner surface of the wall of the envelope is 0.5%-7% in terms of TiO2, and the product of the overall average Ti concentration and the thickness of the wall of the envelope ranges from 3.7% Am to 42 %jim.
2. A fused silica envelope for a discharge lamp, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. A discharge lamp having a fused silica envelope according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.
4. A method of producing a fused silica envelope for a discharge lamp, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
5. The features herein described, or their equivalents, in any patentably novel selection.
GB08613682A 1986-06-05 1986-06-05 Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp Withdrawn GB2191888A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08613682A GB2191888A (en) 1986-06-05 1986-06-05 Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp
DE19863619887 DE3619887C2 (en) 1986-06-05 1986-06-13 Quartz glass bulb for a discharge lamp
NL8601556A NL194454C (en) 1986-06-05 1986-06-16 Gas discharge lamp with an envelope formed from fused silica.
US07/405,571 US4985275A (en) 1986-06-05 1989-09-08 Method for producing a fused silica envelope for discharge lamp

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08613682A GB2191888A (en) 1986-06-05 1986-06-05 Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8613682D0 GB8613682D0 (en) 1986-07-09
GB2191888A true GB2191888A (en) 1987-12-23

Family

ID=10598987

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08613682A Withdrawn GB2191888A (en) 1986-06-05 1986-06-05 Fused silica envelope for discharge lamp

Country Status (3)

Country Link
DE (1) DE3619887C2 (en)
GB (1) GB2191888A (en)
NL (1) NL194454C (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0683504A1 (en) * 1994-05-17 1995-11-22 Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation Discharge lamp and illumination apparatus using the same
EP0675521A3 (en) * 1994-03-29 1997-04-16 Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh High pressure mercury lamp.

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB704848A (en) * 1948-10-29 1954-03-03 British Thomson Houston Co Ltd Improvements in and relating to high pressure electric discharge devices
GB741556A (en) * 1951-10-19 1955-12-07 British Thomson Houston Co Ltd Improvements in and relating to ultra-violet lamps
GB1188015A (en) * 1967-10-12 1970-04-15 Gen Electric & English Elect Improvements in or relating to Electric Discharge Lamps.
GB1441471A (en) * 1974-01-14 1976-06-30 Gen Electric Co Ltd Electric discharge lamps
GB1516101A (en) * 1974-06-05 1978-06-28 Gen Electric Metal halide lamps
GB1553380A (en) * 1975-10-01 1979-09-26 Gen Electric Metal vapour discharge lamps

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL187883B (en) * 1954-05-26 Kahn Leonard R AM RECEIVER.
US3148300A (en) * 1961-08-04 1964-09-08 Gen Electric Lamp having envelope of glass opaque to ultraviolet radiation
GB1307395A (en) * 1969-03-20 1973-02-21 Westinghouse Electric Corp Lamp
US3748518A (en) * 1972-06-14 1973-07-24 Westinghouse Electric Corp Fluorescent lamp having titania-doped glass envelope with transparent buffer film of titania
US3988628A (en) * 1974-06-13 1976-10-26 General Electric Company Metal halide lamp with titania-silicate barrier zone in fused silica envelope
JPS57113550A (en) * 1981-01-06 1982-07-15 Toshiba Corp Discharge lamp
SU1028617A1 (en) * 1981-06-19 1983-07-15 Государственный Научно-Исследовательский Институт Кварцевого Стекла Gas discharge lamp
JPS59105259A (en) * 1982-12-07 1984-06-18 Mitsubishi Electric Corp Metal halide lamp

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB704848A (en) * 1948-10-29 1954-03-03 British Thomson Houston Co Ltd Improvements in and relating to high pressure electric discharge devices
GB741556A (en) * 1951-10-19 1955-12-07 British Thomson Houston Co Ltd Improvements in and relating to ultra-violet lamps
GB1188015A (en) * 1967-10-12 1970-04-15 Gen Electric & English Elect Improvements in or relating to Electric Discharge Lamps.
GB1441471A (en) * 1974-01-14 1976-06-30 Gen Electric Co Ltd Electric discharge lamps
GB1516101A (en) * 1974-06-05 1978-06-28 Gen Electric Metal halide lamps
GB1553380A (en) * 1975-10-01 1979-09-26 Gen Electric Metal vapour discharge lamps

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0675521A3 (en) * 1994-03-29 1997-04-16 Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh High pressure mercury lamp.
EP0683504A1 (en) * 1994-05-17 1995-11-22 Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation Discharge lamp and illumination apparatus using the same
US5668440A (en) * 1994-05-17 1997-09-16 Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation Nitride layer for discharge lamps

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL194454B (en) 2001-12-03
NL8601556A (en) 1988-01-18
DE3619887A1 (en) 1987-12-17
NL194454C (en) 2002-04-04
DE3619887C2 (en) 1995-05-24
GB8613682D0 (en) 1986-07-09

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