Unsaturated ceramic metal halide lamps A new generation of HID lamps

摘要

Ceramic metal halide lamps contain a liquid salt pool in the burner during operation. This limits the light technical characteristics (efficiency, colour quality) and life time and leads to colour point shift in case of variations in power, environmental temperature and burning position. These disadvantages can be avoided by making the burners unsaturated: with all salt in the gas phase. Therefore specific burners have been designed with iridium feedthroughs, a special filling plug and dimensions to give a sufficient high and homogeneous wall temperature. These lamps outperform the current lamps and offer new application possibilities: e.g. dimming. The excellent colour characteristics of the unsaturated lamp can be maintained over a wide dimming range. Other opportunities, made possible by unsaturated burner design, are fast run up, mercury free fillings, hot restrike and miniaturisation. They open the way to a unique generation of lamps which are appropriate for new application fields.