Transient emission characteristics of a hollow-cathode lamp driven by a pulsed current in combination with a radio-frequency burst signal are described. The radio-frequency field excites electrode vapor that is transiently produced by the initial pulsed current discharge. To evaluate the performance of this radio-frequency injected lamp; peak line intensity, line width and line stability of Cu atomic and ionic emissions are compared to those from dc and pulsed current lamps. Results indicate that the radio-frequency lamp is superior to the conventional pulsed lamp in these three factors. However, due to experimental limitations of commercial lamps under applied radio-frequency voltage, the maximum possible intensity enhancement was not achieved. Atomic absorption working curves are also compared to anticipate practical situations. The steep and linear curve obtained using the radio-frequency lamp suggests its important role in practical analysis.
Birefringent atomic vapor laser lock in a hollow cathode lamp
