Patent ID: 8471472

Claim:
A UV enhancer for a discharge lamp provided to the discharge lamp including an arc tube in which at least a light-emitting material and a starting gas are disposed and a pair of electrodes opposed to each other in a discharge champer therein, the UV enhancer having a discharge tube that irradiates a UV-light to the discharge chamber for enhancing a starting of the lamp, wherein the discharge tube has a light-emitting chamber provided on one side of a pinch seal portion for sealing an electrode assembly comprising an internal electrode and a lead welded to ends of a sealing metal foil, and a lead protrusion port provided on a second side of the pinch seal portion for protruding the lead, the lead protrusion port comprises a sleeve having a predetermined gap relative to the lead and extends along an axial line of the lead, a holder that constitutes an external electrode is configured as a metal plate that grips the light-emitting chamber is attached to the light emitting chamber and the holder has a slit for irradiating the UV-light therethrough to the discharge chamber and a clip for holding the pinch seal portion while gripping both a front surface and a rear surface of the pinch seal portion, and a ridge is provided at the front surface of the pinch seal portion for positioning the clip at a predetermined insulation length away from a tubular end of the lead protrusion port of the discharge tube.