The main uses of rare gases such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, etc. in electro-optical sources

Helium, high-purity helium

Compared with other gases, rare gases are single atom molecules, which is a characteristic of them and also determined by their "inertness". However, according to the rules of the periodic table, from top to bottom, as the atomic number increases, their inertness also differs from each other. For example, it has been found that under certain conditions, xenon can interact with fluorine to form xenon trifluoride.

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Rare gases are named after their small quantities in nature, mainly including helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and radon (Rn). Among them, radon is a radioactive element, so it has not been widely used in industrial production except for scientific research and leak detection. Rare gases are the eighth group elements (or zero group) in the periodic table. The outermost orbitals of atoms are already filled with electrons, and their structures are stable. They usually do not react with other substances and have inactive properties, hence they are called inert gases.  

Argon:

1. Used as a filling gas for incandescent lamps to suppress the volatilization of hot tungsten wires and extend the lifespan of the lamp;

2. Filled in fluorescent lamps to assist in start-up, protect electrodes from the impact of mercury ions, and delay the evaporation of metal on the cathode;

3. Charging into a cold cathode discharge tube can result in light blue luminescence;

4. Plays a starting and buffering role in high-pressure mercury lamps and metal halide lamps;

5. Under microwave excitation, emit vacuum ultraviolet spectral lines (104.8nm and 106.7nm) as a photochemical reaction source.

Neon:

1. Mixing with argon to form a Penning gas and filling it into a fluorescent lamp can reduce the starting voltage of the lamp;

2. Charged in a cold cathode discharge tube, it can emit orange red light and be used as an indicator light;

3. Under microwave excitation, emit monochromatic vacuum ultraviolet spectral lines (74.4nm and 73.6nm)

Xenon:

1. Charge into the HID xenon lamp and immediately obtain 80% of the total light output upon startup. When discharged, emit white light with a color temperature of 5500K;

2. Can be made into halogen mixed gas filled halogen lamps;

3. Under microwave excitation, a monochromatic vacuum spectral line (14.7nm) is emitted

Krypton:

1. Mixing with argon and filling it in a fluorescent lamp can improve light efficiency, but it is difficult to start;

2. Can be made into halogen mixed gas filled halogen lamps;

3. Krypton 85 isotope gas can be filled into metal halide lamps to assist in startup;

4. Under microwave excitation, emit monochromatic vacuum ultraviolet spectral lines (123.6nm and 116.5nm)

Helium:

1. Mixing with other inert gases for use in high-power fluorescent lamps;

2. Under microwave excitation, emit monochromatic vacuum ultraviolet spectral lines (58.4nm)

Compared with other gases, rare gases are single atom molecules, which is a characteristic of them and also determined by their "inertness". However, according to the rules of the periodic table, from top to bottom, as the atomic number increases, their inertness also differs from each other. For example, it has been found that under certain conditions, xenon can interact with fluorine to form xenon trifluoride. Therefore, the so-called inertness is also relative and requires specific analysis. Of course, overall, rare gases belong to a class of gases with extremely inactive chemical properties.

The main use of rare gases in electro-optical sources

Using xenon gas to make xenon lamps can emit a dense spectrum similar to sunlight for projection and illumination. Rare gases are not only used as working substances in lamps, but argon is also commonly used as a protective gas in the production process of electric light sources.