Patent ID: 6856091

Claim:
An arc discharge metal halide lamp for use in selected lighting fixtures, said lamp comprising: a discharge chamber having electromagnetic radiation permeable walls bounding a discharge region of a selected volume in which ionizable materials are provided, and with at least one electrode accommodation opening provided in said walls extending along a selected path between said discharge region and a region outside said walls; an electrode arrangement extending through said electrode accommodation opening having therein a thin electrical conductor positioned at least in part in said electrode accommodation opening with said thin electrical conductor being flexible with a major surface having extents in perpendicular surface directions that are both larger than that extent of said thin electrical conductor in a thickness direction perpendicular to said perpendicular surface directions, and said thin electrical conductor having an opposite surface on a side thereof opposite said major surface, said major surface of said thin electrical conductor exhibiting surface curvature in at least some of those portions thereof positioned in said electrode accommodation opening, there being a sealing flit of mixed metal oxides in contact with at least a portion of both said major surface and said opposite surface of said thin electrical conductor within said electrode accommodation opening; and a rod having at least a portion thereof extending along a portion of said major surface of said thin electrical conductor such that a portion of said sealing frit also is in contact with an end portion of said rod.