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Microplasma lighting: Microcavity plasma arrays for future lighting applications
Abstract
Recently, demands for the next generation lighting sources having higher efficiency and a low carbon footprint has soared. To that end we have pursued the development and commercialization of microplasma arrays capable of producing visible emission with high luminous efficacy. Technology originally demonstrated in the Laboratory for Optical Physics and Engineering at the University of Illinois has recently advanced to the point of yield thin planar lamps having active areas of at least 200 cm2 and producing a white luminance above 10000 cd/m2. This new lighting technology is lightweight, below a few mm in thickness, and offers considerable versatility with respect to form factor. In addition to producing light levels, suitable for illumination applications, microplasma arrays provide an environment-friendly, mercury-free lighting source having an expected lifetime of tens of thousands of hours. The technical development of flat lights sources based on microplasma technology and the device performance of various microcavity structures which can generate unique form factors for the future lighting applications will be presented.
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Flat lamps, having radiating areas as large as 15 × 15 cm2 and comprising arrays of Al/Al2O3 microcavity plasma devices, have been fabricated and characterized in the rare gases. Sealed arrays of devices with microcavities having diamond-shaped cross-sections yield lamps with an overall thickness of ~800 µm (of which ~500 µm is the quartz output window) and luminance and luminous efficacy values greater than 1600 cd m−2 and 10 lm W−1, respectively, are observed in preliminary experiments in which microplasmas in a Ne/20%Xe mixture illuminate a commercial green phosphor in a transmission arrangement with the ~10 µm thick phosphor film situated immediately above the array. Efficacy values well in excess of 20 lm W−1 are expected when the array design and microcavity-phosphor geometry are optimized. Fully flexible arrays sealed in polymeric packaging have also been demonstrated, thereby providing access to new opportunities for lighting in which lightweight arrays are mounted onto curved surfaces.
Summary form only given. Flat light sources, having radiating areas as large as 1 ft<sup>2</sup> and comprising arrays of Al/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/glass microcavity plasma devices, have been fabricated and characterized in the rare gases and gas mixtures. Sealed arrays of devices with microcavities having diamond-shaped cross-sections yield lamps with an overall thickness less than 1 mm (of which ~80% of the thickness is contributed by glass or quartz window). These arrays can utilized as UV lamps or thin, flat fluorescent lamps by the selection of materials, discharge gas and optical design. Engineering of the array geometry as well as the microcavity-phosphor arrangement to achieve the highest luminous efficacy are under investigation. The properties of the microdischarge array in various gases will be discussed in detail.