The Degradation of the Active Medium of an Argon Fluoride Discharge Lamp with a Noncorrosive Gas Mixture

Abstract

The results of a spectroscopic study on the degradation of the active medium of an ArF electric-discharge lamp with the He–Ar–SF6 working mixture (p ≥ 100 kPa) and pumped by a transverse space discharge are presented. Plasma radiation spectra were studied over the range 190–780 nm at different stages of degradation of the working mixture, and the dynamics of emission from the inert gases, as well as the products of sulfur hexafluoride degradation in the plasma, were determined. The ArF(B–X) emission band at λ = 193 nm was observed when the number of discharge pulses was ≤103, whereas the quite effective formation of excited sulfur molecules, which decomposed producing emission bands in the spectral region of 260–550 nm, took place at n ≥ 104.