High-power ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) lamps with micro-cavity plasma arrays

A product that includes at least one plasma lamp;

• the plasma lamp comprising:
• two or more internal plates with one or more of the internal plates being individually selected to comprise a UV/VUV radiation transmissive material;
• each internal plate having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
• the internal surface of each internal plate being positioned approximately parallel to and separated by a predetermined distance from the internal surface of another internal plate, such that a fixed volume is formed between the internal plates;
• the predetermined distance being defined by one or more spacers located between the interior surfaces of the internal plates, wherein at least one spacer is a periphery spacer placed near the edge of the internal plates, the periphery spacer forming a hermetic seal with the internal plates;
• one or more UV conversion phosphor materials located on the interior surface of at least a portion of at least one of the internal plates;
• at least one array of microcavities formed in the interior surface of at least one of the internal plates, the microcavities in the at least one array comprising a geometric shape having a predetermined primary spatial width that is in the range of about 5 μm to about 1,500 μm and/or a predetermined spatial depth that is in the range of about 5 μm to about 600 μm;
• a gas in which a glow discharge (plasma) is produced, the gas comprising one or more noble gases, one or more halogen-containing molecular gases, or a mixture of at least one halogen-containing gas with the one or more noble gases;
• the gas occupying the fixed volume between the internal plates and being in contact with the at least one array of microcavities;
• and
• a plurality of electrodes connected to a power supply designed to deliver a time-varying voltage;
• at least one of the plurality of electrodes exhibits a transparency to UV/VUV radiation of 90% or more;
• wherein the time-varying voltage interacts with the gas, such that a spatially uniform, glow discharge (plasma) is formed both within the microcavities and the fixed volume between the internal plates, the glow discharge (plasma) producing radiation that is in the UV/VUV spectral region with at least a portion of the radiation being emitted from the plasma lamp.