Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02229067 1998-02-09
W O 97/07531 PCTAJS96113091
.
Tl rLE
FLUORESCENT LAMP
~ ~T .n OF lNVT~ON
The present invention relates to lighting, and more p~rtirnl~rly to lighting
5 alticles employing a suitable ~l~o~,l.h.-r in c~ n with a cold cat_ode field
emitter. This invention is the result of a contact with the D~al Illl_.lL of Energy
(Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36).
B.A('.KGROUND OF T~TF. n~lvFNTloN
Elu~l~sc~ lightinghasbeenthestandardill.. ;ll,.l;n.~methodin
c~ .;ial buil~lings for many years. While it is used in a lessor degree in homes,
it is generally applied where large areas need to be esonomir~lly lighted. ~lthou~h
;, ~r~ s,,;~. ~I hlngstt~n lighting is less efficient and more costly than fluc~l-,sc~ ll
lighting, ;~ s~ l bulbs arc the ~lilll~y method of home lighting because of
~7u~lior coll~_.~.lce and ~ccetic~s
Although filuol~,scc~lL lighting is a highly err~ method of lighting, it does
suffer from several fl~ .rc: ...~ :P.S Among these cl~ r;~ .s are ecological co.
F1U~ SCe~II light tubes are now rl~sifi~ci as h~7~ ous ~-.,.I... ;~l~ by the U.S.
r~lv;~ 1 Protrctirn Agency (EPA) as these tubes contain Ill_L~ y, a highly
toxic and regulated m~trri~l This ~ 'ole.ll has lead to dev~k~ , such as in
U.S. Patent Nos. 5,229,686 and 5,229,687 which dcs~;li'L c the p~ Lial l~~rhin~
problems of the Ill~ ,Uly from such lights and the ~A~lition of a ~-1.- ~ 1 agent to
these lights for re~ion with the Ill_.~;Uly upon pulv~- ;,. ,l ;. .- of the light. Further,
the ballast resistor required in most, i~f not all, fluo.cs~,c,l~ lighting ~7~;7t~,.11S can
contain poly~hlorin~te~l 'oi~ .lyl oils (PCB's) such . . .~ lc being highly
carcinogenic mat~ also regnl~t~l by the EPA.
Generally, the pro~ ti- n of light in a n,....~ s~..l bulb takes several steps.
First, liquid ....,l~,.,.y within the tube is clc.,LIu.lically heated to volatilize at least
some of the ll.e,culy. Then, an electric current is passed through the lll_.~;Uly
vapor to e~ccite the Ill_~;uly into a plasma state. The e~cited IlI ~;Uly plasma emits
30 ul~raviolet (W) light. Finally, the W light strikes a pl.{~ in the bulb with the
ph- sphor CUII~. 1LU~g the W light energy into emitted visible light. This lightproduction ~LLw~y has certain p~.~. " .~. ~re sh~ COII~il1~,~. In co. . .~ vn toconv~ntion~l inc~n~1~scçnt tnngsten lighting systems, fluorescent lighting systems
are slow to start as the Ill~ ;Uly must first be heated to provide Ill_ ~,uly vapor.
35 Also, fluul.,scc.ll lights are known to make acoustic noise due to the transformer
and ballast rcgister clccLI~llics needed to start and keep the current flowing
th~rough the Illel~;u~y vapor. Oscillation in light output from fluo.~scc,.l lighting
can occur when the system is cold and first turned on thereby ~~ nil ;- ~g some
CA 02229067 l99X-02-09
WO 97/07531 PCT~US96/13091
.
people. Further, ll.--..cscf .~1 lighting systems are typically ;~ .J~ l;hle with
c~ ,. ..I;nn~l .l;..~...;~.g technology used to adjust the light hrightn~cc output
1-. ce.~ g c~ le fluul~scc~ll lighting using more e~otic
clC~,Llulli~S.
S I. Brodie, U.S. 4,818,914, rlic~losec alamp cu~ g acathode fonned
with an array of needle-like ll~.llt~ projecting from one surface thereof, an
accelerator electrode formed with an array of a~ s there through, a layer of
ph~-,srhnr and an anode ele~;Lludc. Voltages applied across the cathode and the
~c,~ lol ele_L ude~ and across the cathode and the anode result in field .-miccinn
10 from the cathode and collectic-n of the cle~,L v. s by the anode. ~ping,oment of the
clc_Lluns on the ~Lo;~uhol layer results in the emiccion of light. Dworsky et al.,
U.S. 5,180,951, discloses a UlliÇc,llll light source c~....l.. ;~ed of a s~ lly planar
~flat) polycrystalline ~ mnn-l film electron ernitter. Y. T~ ..;- h; et al.,
WO 94/28571, disclose a flu~Jlcscc~lL tube light source c~ g a layer of
~ ;c~ mnnd film d~ ,;t~,d over a con~ln~*ve fil~ment and an anode
~ull~ulldillg this fil~ment and film which radiates light when struck by the emitted
clccLlul s. The ~ mnnrl film is said to be cn. .-p. ;~ed of a plurality of
di~llilJut.,d loc~li7ec1 elc:~,llu.l c . .;c~ sites, each sub-site having a plurality of sub-
regions with ~1ifferin~ cle~L-~ rl-;. . ;l ;~ s b.~ a~ sub-r~ginnc
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ~ ,uly-free fluo~usce.
light employing a fibrous field ~ ;.... c~
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fin.~ e ll light
having a ~. .h~l ,.. .l ;~lly instant turn-on.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a low voltage, low
25 power ba~l~light
SUM~Y OF THE T~ oN
To achieve the Ço~ Soillg and other objects, and in acco~d~lce with the
~Ul~OScs of the present il~_nliull, as c...bodied and broadly dcs.,libcd herein, the
present i l~lllio.l ~lovides a lighting ~p~ in~ ling a fibrous cold cathode
30 field emitter whc.ci~l fibers of said cold cathode have a ~ .- of less than about
100 microns, an anode for reaction of elecllol~s emitted by the fibrous cold cathode
field emitter, a phosphor capable upon contact with emitted ele~luns from the cold
cathode field erniKer of ~ a~ g a lu~ . .l light, an evacuated enclosure of lessthan about 10-5 Torr c..,.l~;..;..g within the enclosure the cold cathode field emitter,
35 the anode and the phosphor. The p~l~lcnl light preferably has a lurninous
il.t~,l~ily of at least 20 lumens per watt.
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BPcTF.F D~C~IPIION OF THE DR~WING
FIGURE 1 shows an elongated tube device in accv .lallce with the lighting
a~a alu~ of present invention.
FIGURE 2 shows an e~ploded view of a flat plate device in a~co~ c
5 with the lighting ~ ha~u~ of present i~ iùn.
FIGURE 3 shows a bulb device in acco..lancc with the lighting a~u~ uS
of present invention.
FIGURE 4 shows a light beam producing device in accc..dd..ce with the
lighting d~)palaluS of present invention.
0FIG~RE 5 shows a test device in acco~ ce with the lighting aypalaLuS of
present invention.
FIGURE 6 shows driver circuits for the lighting device of the present
~ Liùl~.
FIGURE 7 shows a bulb device for use in ~L~ld~.l light bulb sockets.
15 DF.T.ATT FT~ DF.. ~CPcTT'TION
The present invention relates to a fidd emi~ci~ n lighting a~)~aluS and to a
fiber field r ~;c~ lighting (~ L) ~ --C
The lighting a~),ua aluS of the present illv~ ivll uses field Pmic~i~ n to
gc.. - - ~~e light output from a l~hGi~hc)r~ e.g., a c~tho(1OI.. ;.. ~sc~ ms~t~.ri~l
20 The field ~ . . .;.~.ci,.. . Iighting a~ua~a~uS involves a fibrous cold cathode field
emitter. The field emic~ n cle~ L~un ~mhting m~t~ri~l can be any m~t~ri~l that can
be p-uvidcd in the form of a fiber. ~l~r~ly the field ~mi~ n dc_Llu" emitting
m~t~ri~l of the fibrous cathode is ~ mon~ mond-like carbon or glassy carbon.
Diamond is e~eci~lly ~u~ f~ d. E'~cf~ l ~bly the fibrous cathode is formed of one or
25 more rli~mnn~ l-like carbon or glassy carbon cv",l~vOile fibers c-....~;.~l;-.g
. . " ;~lly of ~ m~n~ mon~l l~e carbon or glassy carbon on non-~ m(~n~l core
fibers. The non~li~monrl core can be made of a con~ tive or semi-c-
~m~t~ri~l ,Alt~ ..-1;VG1Y~ the core can be made of a non-conductive m~t~ri~l
oullvulldcd by a film coating of a cu...l...-~ or semi-c. nr~ tive m~t~ri~l The
30 core m~t~ri~l in the ~li_-----.--l fiber can be, e.g., a cv...~ , carbon such as
or a metal such as ~- ~- ~g~ .-, or can be, e.g., silicon, copper, molybdenum,
I;li -.;---.~ or silicon carbide. In another embo lim~.nt, the core may consist of a more
comple~ structure, for e~ample. a non-conductive m~trri~l ~ullvu~d by a thin
coating of conductive or semi-conductive m~t~ri~l A diarnond, ~i~mon-l-like or
35 glassy carbon layer is then coated on the sheath. As e~amples, the non-conductive
core can be a synthetic fiber such as nylon, KEVLAR< 9 (KEVLAR~ is a ~c~ d
tr~ m~rk of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and C.-l.-~, Wil~ v~ DE), or
pol~eOI~l or inu-~anic mo~ri~l.c such as ce~ or glass. In other embo-1im~nt~, a
. CA 02229067 1998 - 02 - os
WO 97/07531 PCT/US96/13091
rli~mnn~1, rli~mnnd-like carbon or glassy carbon precursor can be coated onto the
non~ montl core or the core can be a diamond, ~ mnn-l-like carbon or glassy
carbon precursor and dhe ~ monrl ~ mon~l-like carbon or glassy carbon is then -
formed by a~lv~fiate tre~ l of the ~l~cul~or.
In particular, the field ~.mic.cion lighting ~~ us iulvvlvcs a fibrous cold
cathode field ernitter which can be of the type dcs~ ed by Valone, in U.S. patent
~nplic :ltinn serial number 08/196,343, filed February 14, 1994, entitded "Diamond-
r~rhit~ Field F.mittf-:rc" or by Blanchet-Fincher et al., in U.S. patent ap~lir~tion
serial nurnber 08/387,539, filed reblu~y 13, 1995, entided "Diatnond Fiber Fieldr~ " which is a co.~ ;rn-in-part of Valone et al., U.S. patent aprlir~tion
serial numher 08/196,340, filed Feblu~y 14, 1994, entitled "Diamond Fiber Field
r. . .; ". . ~, such descriptions inco.~vlal~,d herein by ieÇ~c.-ce. Further, the cold
cathode field ernitter can be any other suitable çmitting fibrous . . . ,t~ ;~1 such as a
suitable ~;,,.l,h;~, fibertreated by ~ U~ to intense ion beam LL~ or a
suitable ~.,.l~l.;l.o fiber treated by e~posure to a laser as ~l~s. . ;l,ed by F. ;~.l.,.~.,n, in
U.S. provisional patent applir~tirn number 60/002,277, entitled "M.othnfl for
'rçs~tion of Controlled Fidd F.mi~inn Sites" filed August 14, 1995, or a
mnn-l-coated or ~ rnnn~l-like-coated nickel-coated KEVLAR~19 fiber as
~s- ~ ;l~d in U S. patent aprlir~tion number 08/387,539, filed Fel~luaLy 13, 1995,
20 orfiberscc-li.;;gglassycarbon,an~mml~housm~t~ri~1c~l.;l.il;gRamanpeaks
at about 1380 cm-l and 1598 cm-l. "Diamond-like carbon" is used herein to
ign~te the m~t~ori~l referred to in the lit.,l~lU c as ~ mrmfl-like carbon as well as
glassy carbon and carbon cv..~ iC~vSCv~iC ;..~ ;v-~ of glassy carbon, all of
whicharerli~-nrn-l-likeintheir~,~,r.. ~nreasfield~,.. ;~.~;nnms,tr.i~l~
A-lrlhinn~lly, the fibrous cold cathode may gen~or~lly be of an con~lllrtive
m~tcri~l having an a ;Liv~t~d surface, i.e., capable of allowing elccL-vns to be drawn
off at a relatively low bias voltage, with suitable dimensions, i.e., .1;~ c..~ of
~n~ r:llly less than about 100 ~ VlL~ er~lably less than about 15 llli~.lVnS, and
more ~ crel~LlJly less than about 10 microns. Among the suitable m~tr.ri~ may veinclnfif d thin fibers of m~ ;.. o~ide and the like, suitably with an &~;Liv ~cd
surface b~ed on ~.~l.. ~l of the fibers by, e.g., flash heating.
Generally, the fibers of the fibrous cathode each have f1i~mf tf r of less than
about 100 microns, ~C~Gl~l~ly less than about 15 microns. and more preferably less
than about 10 ~--i~-vns~ Smaller f1i~mf ter fibers reduce the voltage ~F c~ss~ ~ y to
~,~.. i.l~thefieldemission. P.cÇ .ably,the~ m-t-re~ceeds 1 micron. Gfnf.r~lly,
.t~ of the fibers of the cold c~thr f1f .s are sllt ,st~nti~lly smaller in .l;" ,. ..,~
than thc mrt~llir fil~mrntc Cf~ J~ly used in pr~se,-~ly available lighting ~p~
W71ile a single fiber can be used as the fibrous r~thoflf 7 it is generaUy ~.cÇ~ to
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W O 97/07531 PCTrUS96/13091
use more than a single fiber as the fibrous cathode to provide ,~;.1.. 1,.. ~. -y in
~lc~ v~
The phosphor used in the lighting a~p~. ~LuS of the present invention can
~n~r~lly be of any type suitable to ~ e visible light upon being struck by
S elecL.vn ~-mi~inn For e~ampie, the phosrh~r can be zinc o~i-l-o ~inc7 zinc sulfide,
c~lminm sulfide, zinc c_.l.. ;.. l. sulfide, zinc sel~-ni-l~, zinc c--l.. ;.. ~.~l,.. ,;,k.
yiuliulll silicate:cesium, zinc ~h.~h;.~ g~nPse~ or other well known m~t~ri~l~
which emit light following suitable r~itati~n - Blends or cr - ~ .h; - IAI ;~ Of .h~ may also beemployed.
The pho~hnr used in the present il~v~ lio~ iS further capable of pro-ln~ing
a pc . ~ . .1 light, i.e., the light from a p~rticlll~r point of the phnsphnr does not
readily fade with time as it is e~cited. Additionally, the output from the e~cited
Pl ~o~l-hor may be capable of g~ , l ;.)g this ~ . .1 visible light with a 1UI1linVUS
i..l~nsi~y of at least 20 lumens per watt.
The lighting a~ u~luS of the present invention in~hlrl~s a fibrous cold
cathode field emitter, a phosphor~ an anode for ~ttr~(~tion of emitted clccL VIlS from
the cold cathode field emitter, aU g~n~-r~lly co..l~ cl within an cvauu~Ltcd
-n~k~s.lre. Unlike a standard lll~,.CUl,~ vapor fluol~,scc"L light, the ligh*ng
of the present i..~ iO" can t~n on Iy without the need for
20 heating the ~ ,..;u y to form a plasma. Without the need for .. .7,;. .l .;..;..g a plasma,
thc light g~ .;.t~ d by the li~hting ~ tu~. of the present invention can be readily
and easily ~limm~-l or hright~n~l by ~ l........... 1 of the voltage applied to the fiber.
When more voltage is applied, more cle~L v,.s are emitted and i...l.;.~c upon the
phn~,l,hv. m~t~ri~l resnlting in ~ liti~.n~l light output, i.e., a brighter light. When
less voltage is arpli~-l but above the .. ;.. ;... turn-on voltage fortne fibrous field
e Tlitter, less elecL v ~. are emitted and impinge upon the ph~srh~.r m~t~Pri~l
reslllting in a rech~ction in light output, i.e., a vu.. ~r light. No starting circuits are
. ~_esc~. y for the lighting a~ualuS of the present i,.~_..Lioll, only a ~ iryillg
voltage step-up circuit and a simple current limiting circuit. Such a current limiting
30 circuit can consist, e.g., of a small l~,;.i..lol/;...l..~t r in series with the fibrous cold
cathode.
The evacuated enclosure typically m~int~in~ a low ~J11.~;7~7Ule of least as low
as about 10-5 Torr. Such an evacuated enclosure can be, e.g., a glass bulb or
multiple glass sheets with a~,lv~iate spacer m~tPri~l Llle.~b~ ,n.
The lighting à~aluS of the present invention uses elecLlv....... ~micsion
infln~eA by a ~lirPct~ bk applied field. This is in contrast with lighting using
a plasma which results in a non directed light source. This allows pra~ tit~l, but
varied, shape ccnfiy...~l;v...~ of t'ne present lighting a~dua~us without limit~tion~ to
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W O 97/07531 PCT~US96/13091
the tr~llition~1 elnng~t~.l tube. No matter what shape the lighting ~p~lus has,
ele~Llon rmiqqinn from the fibers of the fibrous cathode occurs along the length of
the fibers utilized and not from the fiber tip or end.
In one embodiment of the present invention, shown in Fig. 1, a light 10
5 inrl~ d a glass tube 12 as an evacuable enclosure. The inner or interior surface of
glass tube ~ can be coated with a L~ L con(11lr,tor as an anode and a
hn~phl~ orç~thnd~ sce ~I mQt~ ri~l 13. A fibrous cathode çl~ .l.- -.1 14, the
fibrous field emitter, is situated within glass tube 12. An end cap 16 inrln(lt~s
electrodes C~ P~ d to fibrous cathode cle.~ 14 and to the h~
10 cnn~ rtor coating or anode. The fibrous cathode elt .~ I can consist of a single
fiber, can include a mnltirle of fibers or can include a thicker single fiber.
('JçnF~rs~lly, the single fiber or i~ lividual fibers making up the mllltirlF fibers can
have a ~1i,.. t. - of from about 1 micron to about 20 mic~ s, plGrc~ably about
5 microns to about 10 llli~ JnS. The glass tube can be a circular l;ylilld~ as shown
lS or it can have a confi~lred surface.
In another embo~1imt nt of the present invention, shown in Fig. 2, light ~Q
has a flat plate design with a flat plate 22 having a fibrous cathode rlt . ~ I array j~_
thereon. A I . ,...~ ,.-l second flat plate 26 inr~ es a coating of I.,..~
conductor ~ upon the surface of flat plate 26 facing cathode rk.. ~ .- .1 array 24 and
acoatingofal,ho;,lJI~ orcathodol.. ;.. S~f.. l m~tF.ri~1~upon !.
cnn-lllrtnr coating ~. A spacer plate j~ sep~ t~ s flat plate 22 and flat plate
and provides an c~,uable enrlns~lre for fibrous cathode cL,~ ,..l array ~,
.. 1 cont1nrtnr coating ;;~ and ~l-o~l.11nr or cathodnl.. i.~s~ l m~trri~l
~nnflllctnr electrodes are cn~.t ~d to hal~al~ cnn~ ctQr coating j~ and
25 fibrous cathode rk ~..~ ..l array 24.
In another embodiment of the present il~ ion, shown in Fig. 3, a bulb-
shaped light 40 inr1n~1~3 a glass globe 42 having an interior coating of a ha~
conductor 44 and a coating of a ph~-srhnr or C~thndol ~ F 3C~ ~ ~1 m~trri~1 ~. Afibrous cathode cl~ ..- .l 48, the fibrous field emitter, is situated within glass globe
42. Cnn-l~lt~tor~ are c~,.. ~F~ d to fibrous cathode cl- ~.. l 48 and to the
cnn.lllrtnr coating or anode 44. The fibrous cathode rl~ l 48 can
consist of a single fiber or can include a multiple of fibers. (~rnrr~1ly, the single
fiber or individual fibers m~king up the multiple fibers can have a ~ mrtrr of from
about 1 micron to about 20 rnicrons, preferably about 5 rnicrons to about
35 10 microns.
~ another embodiment of the present i--ve~llioll~ shown in Fig. 4(a) and
Fig. 4(b), a light ~Q capable of producing a light beam output 52 inr~tlcles gl~s
Jh~ . ;r~l support 54 having co~tingc upon the c(,nc~v~ inner surface of a
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-
reflector m~t~ri~l ~, a ~ nl conductive rn~t~ri~l 58, and a phosphor or
catho lc~ sce -l m~t~ri~l 60. A fibrous cathode çlc. . .~ 62, the fibrous field
ernitter, is situated within glass h~micph~re 54. Con-lnctor.c are conn~cterl tofibrous cathode rk .. ~ 1 62 and to the l . ~ L condllctor coating or anode ~.
5 ~7arying the shape of the glass support 54 can result in a more collcG.-L...~d light
beam. For e~ample, a parabolic support would ~comrlich this result.
Figure S shows a simple test device used to test field ~miccion variables of
the fibrous c~tho~les in~lnfling a clear plastic, e.g., Lucite~ plastic, tube 70 capped
with end caps 72 and 74 to form an evacuable enclosure. End cap 72 in~ es an
10 cpening 76 c...-.-P~ to a vacuum pump. S..~ ed with n the evacuable
t n~losllre is a ~,.Uul.~d copper screen mesh 78 coated with a phosphor or
c~th~l--l.. ;.~sc~ .. I m~t~ri~l 80. A fibrous cathode çl~m~nt 82 is situated within
g.vuu-ded copper screen mesh 78. Con-lurtQrc are connl-cte~ to fibrous cathode
dc...~ 82 and to copper screen mesh or anode 78. This test device can prove
15 useful for ~ ;. .;. .g emicsi~n u lirO-Ii-y of C,.~llSsivc fibers.
Figure 6 shows a current limiting circuit for use with the lighting a,u~a~aluS
of the present iul~ ion. The currçnt limitin~ circuit S~.Q inrhl-l~s resistor 92 and an
int~ tor ~ in series with the C.lUsDiVC fiber or fibrous cathode, k . ,. . ~l ~. Power
source 2~ is c- nn~cte~l through a ~ iryiu.g voltage step-up circuit 100 to the
anode 102 and the current limiting circuit ~Q in series with cathode rl~ 1 96.
In another embodiment of the present invention, shown in Fig. 7, light 120
is in the forrn of a Dl~.da d light bulb with a screw type base. The inner surface of
the glass bulb ~ is coated with a ~ cv. .~ l ;. .g o~ide 122 and a
phosphor or c~thodol.~ ,sce~l m~trri~l 123. A fibrous cathode feld emitter
c.. p. ;.cerl of a fidd ~mic.cinn cle.,L.ul. ~ fiber 124 is in the central region of
the bulb. The fiber emitter is shown in a triangular confiy .. . ~ ;. ,. . but could be in
other confignr~tionc, e.g., a circle or a figure having four or morc sides. The fiber
emitter is Du~u.~ed by a non ç.~.;ll ;..g current ca~ier 125. Fmitt~d clc~,L.o. s are
shown by the arrows 126. The screw type base 127 is essenti~lly the same as used30 for DL~.da~ sc~ .~ bulbs.
In operation of the lightin~ a~ualuS of the present invention, power
density of about 1 5 watts per inch from the cathode can generally be .-~ces.s ~.y to
e sllfficient cle~;LIu.. emission. Generally, if the bias voltage on the fibrouscathode is at least 1500 Volts, then the emission current per inch must be at least
35 about 1 milli,~ s
The present invention is more particularly ~lcs~ in the following
mpl.~ which is int~nfl~A as ill . ..~1. ,.1 ;ve only.
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W O 97/07531 PCTnUS96/13091
FX A~PT.F.l
A lighting d~dlus was ~ . . .hkA e~enti~lly as shown in Figure 5 using a
carbon fiber that was e~posed to a single intense ion beam L~ The carbon
fiber was ~ ,d as follows.
Unt1r~t.od g.,ph;l, fibers (co~ cially available IM7 ~phitlo fibers from
Hercules, Inc., Wil.. .;. .~ , DE) from a ~ yarn were spread out across a
frame and the frame placed in the path of an intense ion beam o~c.atcd in
accc...l~cc with the te~hingc of Rej et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 64(10),
pp. 2753-2760, Oct. 1993. The voltage was about 300 kilovolts. The ~ . 4 of
10 the frame from the focus of the ion beam was varied 'G~ ,Cll about si~ inches to
18 inches. The energy density of the ion beam was ç~,l ;. . .~. A at from about
2 joulespersquarec~..l;.-.~ r~- toabout 10 joulespersquarec~--l;---- t~-. Thetime
of a pulse of the ion beam was about one rni~;lusecn.-(l After a single pulse, the
frame was turned over (180~) and the reverse side of the fibers was e~posed to a15 single pulse of the intense ion bearn. The . ~ ,,. .1 l ~. .1 fibers were tested and shown to
be r~cell~nt field en i~ .n cle~;llul~ ~rnitt~r~
A fiber was then ~tt~.~h.-cl to conductor "A" shown in Figurc 5. A _inc
7in~ phc~sphor was coated onto the copper mesh sc~cen. A potential
lli~c~ e of about 3.5 keV was applied to the cathode and anode, i.e., to
20 cf.n-ll.ctc.rs "A" and "B". A current of 2-3 rnA was obtained over a one inch(2.5 cm) leng~ of fiber together with a ~ .l light ~ . . About lO watts
per inch (2.5 cm) was obtained for lighting ~ Gses~
,~lth..u~h the present invention has been ~l~s.~ 1 with .c~ c to
specific details, it is not int-nd~d that such details should be regarded as limit~tion~
25 upon the scope of the invention, e~cept as and to the e~tent that they are in~ d
in the ~co~ y..lg clai~ns.
