CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0086847, filed on Jul. 14, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relates to a triple tube type excimer lamp.

2. Background Art

An excimer lamp is one kind of lamp using dielectric barrier discharge. Here, the dielectric barrier discharge represents discharge generated between two electrodes separated by an insulation dielectric material.

Among the excimer lamps, a typical double tube type excimer lamp has a double tube structure including an outer tube and an inner tube. The double tube type excimer lamp represents a lamp using dielectric barrier discharge generated when a high voltage is applied to electrodes respectively installed on surfaces of the outer tube and the inner tube.

FIG. 1Ais a view illustrating an outer shape of the typical double tube type excimer lamp, andFIG. 1Bis a cross-sectional view illustrating a double tube lamp of the typical double tube type excimer lamp.

A typical double tube type excimer lamp1includes a lamp2and a base3coupled to each of both sides of the lamp2. Also, power is supplied to the lamp2through a wire4. The lamp2has a double tube structure having a cylindrical shape in which an outer tube5and an inner tube7have the same axis, an external electrode6is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the outer tube5, and an internal electrode8is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the inner tube7. Also, a discharge space is formed between the outer tube5and the inner tube7, and a discharge gas for forming excimer molecules is filled in the discharge space by the dielectric barrier discharge. Both ends of the lamp2having the double tube structure are sealed, and the sealed portions are coupled with the base3to fix the lamp to a mechanical device.

As power having a high frequency and a high voltage is applied to the external electrode6and the internal electrode8, the excimer discharge is generated, and light is emitted by the excimer discharge. The emitted light is used for various purposes such as light cleaning, air purification, surface modification, or skin treatment according to a wavelength of the emitted light.

However, when the power having the high frequency and the high voltage is applied to the external electrode6and the internal electrode8, oxygen is decomposed from surfaces of the both electrodes to generate ozone (refer toFIG. 1B). Particularly, when the excimer lamp1is used indoors, the generated ozone is accumulated to harm a human body. Thus, the excimer lamp1may not be used alone, and an ozone purification device for removing or decomposing the ozone may be essentially used. The ozone purification device includes an ozone filter or an ozone decomposition catalyst.

That is, when the typical double tube type excimer lamp is used, ozone is generated to harm a human body, and thus the separate ozone purification device for removing or decomposing the ozone is required. Thus, the entire device has a complicated and large structure. Also, costs for mounting the separate ozone purification device increase.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide a triple tube type excimer lamp that does not generate ozone to the outside during excimer discharge.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a triple tube type excimer lamp that does not require an ozone purification device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a triple tube type excimer lamp includes: a discharge unit including an outer tube having an external electrode on an outer circumferential surface thereof, an inner tube having the same axis as the outer tube, inserted into the outer tube, and having an internal electrode on an inner surface thereof, and one pair of assembly tubes respectively disposed on both sides of the inner tube, and configured to generate light by discharge; a cover tube having a shape surrounding an outer side of the outer tube; and one pair of bases respectively coupled with the one pair of assembly tubes and respectively sealed with both ends of the cover tube.

An inert gas may be accommodated in a space between the outer tube and the inner tube, and discharge light may be emitted form the inert gas.

The internal electrode may be made by using a metallic material including at least one of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), gold (Au), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), stainless steel, iron (Fe), indium (In), and tin (Sn).

The cover tube may be made of quartz.

The inside of the triple tube type excimer lamp may be sealed by the cover tube and the one pair of bases.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, the triple tube type excimer lamp may be formed by adding the cover tube to the outer side of the discharge unit of the double tube type excimer lamp and sealing the cover tube with the base to prevent the ozone generated during the excimer discharge process from being leaked to the outside. Thus, the pollution caused by the ozone may be prevented by the triple tube type excimer lamp.

Also, according to the embodiments of the present invention, since the ozone is not leaked to the outside of the lamp, the ozone purification device for removing or decomposing the ozone may not be necessarily provided with the excimer lamp, and thus the device may have a simple configuration to save costs.

