Relative enhancement of near-UV emission from a low-pressure mercury-rare-gas discharge lamp, for an LCD backlighting application

A narrow band near-UV backlight source with application in a new type of liquid crystal display is described. The light source is a pulse driven, mercury-argon gas, low-pressure discharge lamp. Pulse driving and lamp filling conditions are described for a lamp for which the ratio of the radiant outputs at 365 and 254 nm is enhanced considerably compared with the same lamp when it is operated with a conventional ac ballast. Pulsed operation of the lamp is shown also to increase the absolute radiant output of the group of transitions near 365 nm compared with the respective radiant output power from the same lamp when it is operated with ac with the same total input power.