Patent ID: 7982400

Claim:
A high-intensity discharge lamp comprising: a discharge vessel made of an insulator; a cathode attached to one end of the vessel and an anode attached to an opposite end of the vessel, the vessel having a first region directly adjacent to where the anode separates from an interior surface of the vessel, the first region and the anode defining a V-shaped gap between the anode and the interior surface of the vessel, the gap is filled with a gas and opens to a discharge chamber of the vessel, the first region having an unimpeded line-of-sight to the cathode; and a secondary cathode positioned on an exterior surface of the vessel at the first region so that the gap and first region are between the secondary cathode and the anode, the secondary cathode being connected to the cathode and generating an electric field at the first region that produces a dielectric barrier discharge in the gap, the dielectric barrier discharge generating UV and VUV photons which impinge on the cathode and initiate a breakdown between the cathode and the anode.