Radiant energy – Radiant energy generation and sources
Patent
1984-01-09
1986-03-04
Anderson, Bruce C.
Radiant energy
Radiant energy generation and sources
G21G 400
Patent
active
045741980
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method for producing photons in the UV-wavelength range, which comprises planting in a solid matrix, ions from a gas which is inert or insoluble relative to the matrix, excitating the gas being retained captive as extended faults of the solid matrix, and radiating said photons by the excitated gas, as well as to a device for the working of this method.
The usual light sources for the near, far and extreme UV-wavelengths, are generally discharge sources where the light is produced by passing an electric discharge through a capillary element containing noble gases or similar under pressures lying between 10 and a few ten-thousands Pa. For He, a commonly-used gas, a continuous emission spectrum results from the forming in the discharge and the subsequent radiative decrease, of excitated helium molecules He.sub.2 *.
Another main radiation source in this spectrum range is the synchrotron which is a complex and costly equipment, available in a few locations only in the world.
It has also been considered to use the fluorescence of liquid helium as radiation source in the UV range, but this method requires a cryogenic cooling, thus at very low temperatures, as well as a differential pumping, and the working thereof is thus very costly (see C. M. Surko, R. E. Packard, G. J. Dick and F. Reif, Spectroscopic Study of the luminescence of liquid helium in the vacuum ultraviolet, in Physical Review Letters, Vol. 24, Nr. 12 (1970), p. 657 and ff.).
It is known on the other hand to prepare solid matrixes having extended faults, such as gap agglomerates, or bubbles containing a gas which is inert or insoluble relative to the matrix. There is for example obtained such a matrix with helium microbubbles by bombardment by means of energizing He ions. The Al/He matrix has been the object of spectroscopy studies for optic absorption and electronic power loss (see J. C. Rife, S. E. Donnelly, A. A. Lucas and J. J. Ritsko, Optical absorption and electron-energy-loss spectra of helium microbubbles in Aluminum, Physical Review Letters, Vol. 46, Nr.18 (1981), p. 1220 and ff.).
It has finally been noticed that a solid matrix bombed by means of high-energy helium ions (200-600 keV) emits, from some He proportion on, a continuous spectrum in the UV range (see R. S. Bhattacharya, K. G. Lang, A. Scharmann and K. H. Schartner, Continuous emission in the vacuum ultraviolet under energetic inert gas ion bombardment of aluminum, in J. Phsy.D, vol. 11 (1978), p. 1935 and ff.). It is to be noted that the planting of high-energy helium ions is a relatively costly method and that as the helium ions are planted at a deep depth inside the matrix, the intensity of the UV emission is low.
The present invention has for object to develop a method and a device for producing photons in the UV-wavelength range, which are simple and of low-cost while giving comparable results to the discharge sources.
For this purpose according to the invention, one performs an ion bombardment of the surface from the solid matrix with low-energy ions from at least one gas such as mentioned above, so as to obtain a low-depth planting of gas in the solid matrix, and thereafter a low-energy electronic bombardment of the solid matrix, with an excitating of the captive gas and emission of said photons.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the planting at low depth of gas ions through one side of a mass solid matrix, and the electronic bombardment of this same side with emission of said induced photons from this side.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the planting at low depth of gas ions inside a laminated solid matrix with a thickness smaller than 1 .mu.m, and said electronic bombardment of the one side of this matrix with emission of said induced photons from the other side of the matrix.
There is also provided according to the invention, a device for the working of the method according to the invention, this device comprising a vacuum enclosure, a solid matrix, into which are planted
REFERENCES:
"Trapping of Low-Energy Helium Ions in Niobium" by R. Behrisch et al., Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 56, No. 3 (1975), North Holl. Publ. Comp., Amsterdam (NL), p. 365.
"Time-Dependent Study of Vacuum-Ultraviolet Emission in Argon" by N. Thonnard et al., Physical Review A, vol. 5, No. 3 (Mar. 1972), Inst. of Phys., New York (US)., pp. 1111-1112.
"Continuous Emission in the Vacuum Ultraviolet Under Energetic Inert Gas Ion Bombardment of Aluminium" by R. S. Bhattacharya et al., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 11 (1978), Letchworth (GB), pp. 1935-1939.
Donnelly Stephen E.
Lucas Amand A.
Rife Jack C.
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