Claims
- 1. In combination:
- a cesium vapor discharge lamp including a solid metal anode and a cathode comprising a reservoir of liquid cesium;
- a plurality of light-activated semiconductor switching elements; and
- means for transmitting radiation emitted from said cesium vapor discharge lamp to light-sensitive areas of said semiconductor switching elements.
- 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the means for transmitting include dielectric means which function to prevent undesired electric current flow between said plurality of semiconductor switching elements.
- 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means for transmitting include dielectric light pipes.
- 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said light pipes include fiber optic elements.
- 5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said means for transmitting further include optical elements for focusing said radiation into said light pipes.
- 6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor switching elements comprise light-activated thyristors.
- 7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said discharge lamp further includes metallic cesium vapor at a pressure of approximately 40 torr disposed between said anode and said cathode.
- 8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cesium vapor discharge lamp further includes an inert gas disposed between said anode and said cathode.
- 9. The lamp of claim 1 further including power supply means which function to produce a pulsed electric current flow between said cathode and said anode and which further function to superimpose a direct current flow on said pulsed current flow between said cathode and said anode.
Parent Case Info
This is a division, of application Ser. No. 907,792, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,728, filed May 19, 1978, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 730,129, filed Oct. 6, 1976 abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
907792 |
May 1978 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
730129 |
Oct 1976 |
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