Lamp Technology
UV lamp technology has greatly evolved from the initial developments to the present day.
- Technology
Quartz Lamp
Richard Küch inventor of the UV quartz lamp, first melted quartz in 1890.
Developed the first UV quartz lamp in 1904 and laid the foundation for a lamp technology that is still used today.
Uses:
- Tanning
- Curing of printing inks
- Lacquer and adhesives
- Photochemistry
- Sewer rehabilitation
- Analytics
- UV disinfection
Arc (Electrode) Lamp
When a mercury vapor lamp is first turned on, it will produce a dark blue glow because only a small amount of the mercury is ionized and the gas pressure in the arc tube is very low so much of the light is produced in the ultraviolet band. As the main arc strikes and the gas heats up and increases in pressure, the light shifts into the visible range and the high gas pressure causes the emission bands to broaden somewhat, producing light that appears more-white to the human eye although the majority of emission bands are (there are visible spectrum bands in mercury emissions) still in the ultraviolet spectrum. Even at full intensity the light from the mercury vapor lamp with no phosphors is still bluish in color. The pressure in the fused silica glass tube rises to approximately one atmosphere or higher once the bulb has reached its working temperature. If the discharge should be interrupted it is not possible to re-strike the lamp until the bulb cools enough for the pressure to fall considerably.
- High pressure Mercury vapor lamps are commonly used in spot curing systems 100 watt lamps are capable of generating high output to over 16w/cm2 in the focal point of the spot area.
- 200 watt lamp systems generate 30w/cm2 for high output curing needs
- Output decays and focal spot size increases over time
- >3000 hours typical lamp life
- Equipment such as EXFO lamps include integrated electronics which log hours and maintains lamp temperature to increase lamp life
