excimer lamp

[6.13]

A discharge source of primarily ultraviolet radiation produced by excited dimer[1] (“excimer”) molecules as they transition from their excited state to their ground state.

Notes:

  1. The wavelength of UV radiation emitted depends on the composition of the working excimer molecule (often a combination of a noble gas and a halogen gas).
  2. One example is the Krypton-chloride excimer (chemical symbol: KrCl*) lamp, which emits primarily around 222 nm, with lesser emissions at longer UV wavelengths. (The asterisk in the symbol indicates that the molecule is an excimer.)

[1] A dimer is a molecule or molecular complex consisting of two identical molecules linked together.

« Back to Definitions Index