Patent ID: 8421358

Claim:
A lamp comprising: a microwave wave guide of solid dielectric material, the wave guide being a body having: thickness between two opposite sides; a discharge tube aperture extending into the body of the wave guide from one side; and a transverse dimension between two opposite edges, which dimension is an integer and/or fractional multiple of a wavelength of microwave oscillation in the wave guide at a drive frequency between the edges, which edges are electrically grounded; a drive probe received in the wave guide for exciting the microwave oscillation; and a discharge tube containing a material excitable by the microwave oscillation to produce a light emitting plasma in the discharge tube, the discharge tube: having a length greater than twice the thickness of the wave guide; extending from the wave guide on at least one side thereof and into the aperture in the wave guide for coupling the microwave oscillation from the wave guide to the discharge tube; and containing a material excitable by the microwave oscillation to produce a light emitting plasma in the discharge tube wherein the wave guide is thin with respect to the wavelength of the microwave oscillation.