Emission characteristics of a glow discharge in a mixture of heavy inert gases with iodine vapor

The results of a systematic investigation of the emission characteristics of a low-pressure UV excimer-halogen lamp pumped by a longitudinal dc glow discharge are presented. The discharge was initiated in mixtures of heavy inert gases with iodine vapor at a total pressure of 100–2000 Pa and a power deposited into the plasma of 10–100 W. Current-voltage characteristics of the glow discharge and emission spectra of the plasma in the region of 190–360 nm are studied. The radiation intensity at the resonance line of the iodine atom (206.2 nm) and the intensity at the peaks of the XeI(B-X) (253 nm) and I₂(B-X) (342 nm) emission bands are analyzed as functions of the pressure and partial composition of the mixtures of Ar, Kr, and Xe with iodine vapor, as well as the electric power of the glow discharge. The most efficient gas mixtures are determined for an electric-discharge UV iodine vapor lamp with continuous-wave emission and a long service life before a change of the mixture is required.