Electrodeless single low power CW laser driven plasma lamp

• US 10,057,973 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corporation (Excelitas Technologies Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Excelitas Technologies Corporation (Excelitas Technologies Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Blondia, Rudi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alaeddini, Borna
• Application Number:
  US15/409,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20170135192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 250423 R, 250423 P, 250424, 250426, 2504941, 2504931, 250504 R, 250504 H, 31511121, 31511171, 31511191, 31323131, 31323141, 31323161, 31323171, 313631, 313632, 313633
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70008 Production of exposure light, i.e. light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70016 by discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70025 by lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70033 by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7005 by multiple sources, e.g. light-emitting diodes [LED] or light source arrays addressable array sources specially adapted to produce patterns without a mask G03F7/70391
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/025 Associated optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/16 having helium, argon, neon, krypton, or xenon as the principle constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/30 Vessels; Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 61/54 Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 65/04 Lamps in which a gas filling is excited to luminesce by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation, e.g. for indicating plasma display panels
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence

Abstract

An ignition facilitated electrodeless sealed high intensity illumination device is configured to receive a laser beam from a continuous wave (CW) laser light source. A sealed chamber is configured to contain an ionizable medium. The chamber has an ingress window disposed within a wall of a chamber interior surface configured to admit the laser beam into the chamber, a plasma sustaining region, and a high intensity light egress window configured to emit high intensity light from the chamber. The CW laser beam is producible by a CW laser below 250 Watts configured to produce a wavelength below 1100 nm. The device is configured to focus the laser beam to a full width at half maximum (FWHM) beam waist of 1-15 microns² and a Rayleigh length of 6 microns or less, and the plasma is configured to be ignited by the CW laser beam.

Claims

1. An ignition facilitated electrodeless sealed high intensity illumination device configured to receive a laser beam from a continuous wave (CW) laser light source comprising:

a sealed chamber configured to contain an ionizable medium, the chamber further comprising;

an ingress window disposed within a wall of a chamber interior surface configured to admit a beam from the CW laser into the chamber;

a plasma sustaining region; and

a high intensity light egress window configured to emit high intensity light from the chamber,

wherein the CW laser beam is producible by a CW laser below 250 Watts configured to produce a wavelength below 1100 nm, a path of the CW laser beam from the CW laser light source through the ingress window to a focal region within the chamber is direct, focusing the CW laser beam to a region with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) beam waist of 1-15 microns² and a Rayleigh length of 6 microns or less, and the plasma is configured to be ignited by the CW laser beam.

2. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, further comprising a non-electrode ignition agent disposed entirely within the chamber, wherein the CW laser beam is producible by a CW laser below 125 Watts configured to produce a wavelength below 550 nm, the ingress window is configured to focus the CW laser beam to a region with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) beam waist of 0.5-7.5 microns² and a Rayleigh length of 4 microns or less.

3. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 2, wherein the CW laser beam is producible by a CW laser below 90 Watts configured to produce a wavelength below 460 nm.

4. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, wherein the CW laser beam is producible by a CW laser below 150 Watts configured to produce a wavelength below 460 nm.

5. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, wherein the ingress window further comprises a lens configured to focus the CW laser beam to a lens focal region within the chamber.

6. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, further comprising a lens disposed in the path between the CW laser light source, and wherein the ingress window configured to focus the CW laser beam to a lens focal region within the sealed chamber.

7. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, an integral reflective chamber interior surface configured to reflect high intensity light from the plasma sustaining region to the egress window.

8. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, wherein ionizable medium comprises a first noble gas.

9. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 8, wherein ionizable medium further comprises a second noble gas.

10. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 9, wherein the device is configured to ignite the first noble gas with the CW laser beam, and the ignited first noble gas is configured to ignite the second noble gas.

11. The sealed high intensity illumination device of claim 1, further comprising a filter component configured to filter a primary wavelength of the CW laser upon egress from the chamber.

12. A method for operating a sealed beam lamp without ignition electrodes comprising a sealed chamber, comprising the steps of:

providing a window configured to receive energy from a continuous wave (CW) laser light source disposed outside the chamber to a focal region within the chamber;

setting a pressure of the chamber to a predetermined pressure level;

focusing the CW laser light source to a focal region within the chamber having a predetermined volume of 200 micron³ or less within the chamber;

igniting the ionizable medium within the chamber with only the CW laser light source to form a plasma without the use of an ignition agent; and

sustaining the plasma within the chamber with the CW laser light source.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined pressure level is at least 300psi, and the CW laser light source has a power level of 250 Watts or less.

14. A method for operating a sealed beam lamp without ignition electrodes comprising a sealed chamber, comprising the steps of:

providing a window configured to receive energy from a continuous wave (CW) laser light source disposed outside the chamber to a focal region within the chamber;

setting a pressure of the chamber to a predetermined pressure level;

positioning a passive non-electrode igniting agent disposed entirely within the chamber adjacent to the focal region;

heating the passive non-electrode igniting agent with the CW laser light source;

igniting the ionizable medium within the chamber with the heated passive non-electrode igniting agent to form a plasma;

focusing the CW laser light source to a focal region within the chamber having a predetermined volume of 200 micron³ or less within the chamber; and

sustaining the plasma within the chamber with the CW laser light source,

wherein the passive non-electrode igniting agent does not comprise an electrical connection, the predetermined pressure level is at least 300psi, and the CW laser light source has a power level of less than 125 Watts.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the heating of the passive non-electrode igniting agent with the CW laser light source is indirect.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of focusing the CW laser light source onto the passive non-electrode igniting agent, and wherein the heating of the passive non-electrode igniting agent with the CW laser light source is direct.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the passive non-electrode igniting agent comprises thoriated tungsten.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the passive non-electrode igniting agent comprises Kr-85.

19. A system for producing high intensity light comprising:

a continuous wave (CW) laser light source configured to produce a CW laser beam having a wavelength of 700 nm or less and the CW laser light source is configured to produce less than 250 watts; and

an ignition facilitated electrodeless sealed high intensity illumination device comprising;

a sealed chamber configured to contain an ionizable medium, the chamber further comprising;

an ingress window disposed within a wall of a chamber interior surface configured to admit the CW laser beam into the chamber;

a plasma sustaining region; and

a high intensity light egress window configured to emit high intensity light from the chamber,

wherein a path of the CW laser beam from the CW laser light source through the ingress window to a focal region within the chamber is direct, focusing the CW laser beam to a region with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) beam waist of 1-10 microns and a Rayleigh length of 6 micron or less, and the plasma is configured to be ignited by the CW laser beam.

20. A system for producing high intensity light comprising:

a continuous wave (CW) laser light source configured to produce a CW laser beam having a wavelength of 700 nm or less; and

an ignition facilitated electrodeless sealed high intensity illumination device comprising;

a sealed chamber configured to contain an ionizable medium, the chamber further comprising;

an ingress window disposed within a wall of a chamber interior surface configured to admit the CW laser beam into the chamber;

a plasma sustaining region; and

a high intensity light egress window configured to emit high intensity light from the chamber,

wherein a path of the CW laser beam from the CW laser light source through the ingress window to a focal region within the chamber is direct, focusing the CW laser beam to a region with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) beam waist of 1-10 microns² and a Rayleigh length of 6 micron or less, and the plasma is configured to be ignited by the CW laser beam,

wherein the ignition facilitated electrodeless sealed high intensity illumination device further comprises a non-electrode ignition agent, and the CW laser light source is configured to produce less than 125 watts.