Patent ID: 6922021

Claim:
A lamp comprising: (a) a waveguide having a body of a preselected shape and preselected dimensions consisting essentially of at least one solid dielectric material, the body having a first side determined by a first waveguide outer surface; (b) a lamp chamber depending from said first side and having an aperture at said waveguide outer surface generally opposed to a lamp chamber bottom, the waveguide body and lamp chamber comprising an integrated structure; (c) a first microwave probe positioned within and in intimate contact with the waveguide body, adapted to couple microwave power into the body from a source of microwave power having an output and an input and operating at a preselected frequency and intensity, the probe connected to the source output, said frequency and intensity and said body shape and dimensions selected such that the waveguide body resonates in at least one resonant mode having at least one electric field maximum; and (d) the lamp chamber containing a fill mixture consisting essentially of a starting gas and a light emitter, the fill mixture when receiving microwave power at said frequency and intensity, provided by the resonating waveguide body, forming a plasma which emits light.