Bright Idea: Radio-Frequency Light Sources

THE IDEA OF RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) LIGHTING, as well as the first RF lamp patent, appeared long before the first fluorescent and high-pressure lamps came onto the market. It took over a century for the first commercial RF lamp to appear, introducing a new era in the production of light. Recent progress in semiconductor power switching electronics, along with a more thorough understanding of fundamental processes in RF plasmas, have resulted in commercially viable RF light sources.