RF light sources follow the same principles of converting electrical power into visible

radiation as conventional gas discharge lamps. The fundamental difference between RF

lamps and conventional lamps is that RF lamps operate without electrodes .the presence
of electrodes in conventional florescent and High Intensity Discharge lamps has put many
restrictions on lamp design and performance and is a major factor limiting lamp life.

Recent progress in semiconductor power switching electronics, which is revolutionizing

many factors of the electrical industry, and a better understanding of RF plasma
characteristics, making it possible to drive lamps at high frequencies.
The very first proposal for RF lighting, as well as the first patent on RF lamps, appeared
about 100years ago, a half century before the basic principles lighting technology based
on gas discharge had been developed.

Discharge tubes
Discharge Tube is the device in which a gas conducting an electric current emits
visible light. It is usually a glass tube from which virtually all the air has been removed
(producing a near vacuum), with electrodes at each end. When a high-voltage current is
passed between the electrodes, the few remaining gas atoms (or some deliberately
introduced ones) ionize and emit colored light as they conduct the current along the tube.
The light originates as electrons change energy levels in the ionized atoms. By coating
the inside of the tube with a phosphor, invisible emitted radiation (such as ultraviolet
light) can produce visible light; this is the principle of the fluorescent lamp.