Patent ID: 8013508

Claim:
A high pressure discharge lamp comprising: a discharge vessel having a first seal at a first end and a second seal at a second end, the two seals defining a discharge space within the discharge vessel; an ionizable filling enclosed in the discharge space for enabling gas discharge; a first electrode and a second electrode disposed at the first and second ends of the discharge vessel respectively and exposed to the ionizable filling; a main power supply line and a return power supply line respectively connected to the first and second electrodes and respectively extending through the first and second seals at the ends of the discharge vessel, the main power supply line for providing an ignition voltage to the first electrode; an ignition aid comprising an electrically conductive material capacitively coupled to each of the electrodes, at least one of said couplings extending across at least a portion of the discharge space; wherein at least a portion of the electrically conductive material comprises a coating disposed over the surface of the first seal at the first end of the discharge vessel, wherein the coating extends in a first annular groove between the discharge space and the first seal at the first end of the discharge vessel.