US 7,538,478 B2
Discharge lamp provided with external electrodes, production method of the discharge lamp, backlight unit provided with the discharge lamp, and liquid crystal display apparatus
Toshihiro Terada, Hyogo (Japan); Shigeru Ido, Osaka (Japan); Tomokazu Matsuura, Osaka (Japan); Hirofumi Yamashita, Osaka (Japan); Taizou Ono, Osaka (Japan); and Masanobu Murakami, Osaka (Japan)
Assigned to Panasonic Corporation, Osaka (Japan)
Filed on Jul. 14, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/486,745.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-205306 (JP), filed on Jul. 14, 2005; application No. 2005-221205 (JP), filed on Jul. 29, 2005; application No. 2005-237177 (JP), filed on Aug. 18, 2005; application No. 2005-237178 (JP), filed on Aug. 18, 2005; application No. 2005-254802 (JP), filed on Sep. 02, 2005; and application No. 2005-312874 (JP), filed on Oct. 27, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2007/0013285 A1, Jan. 18, 2007
Int. Cl. H01J 11/00 (2006.01); H01J 63/04 (2006.01); H01J 65/00 (2006.01); H01J 61/06 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 313—234  [313/607; 313/621] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A discharge lamp comprising:
a glass bulb; and
a pair of electrodes provided at both ends of the glass bulb, wherein at least one of the electrodes is an external electrode formed on an outer surface of the glass bulb as a thin layer whose maximum thickness is 70 μm or less, and an end portion of the external electrode becomes smaller in thickness towards an end of the external electrode in a glass bulb tube axis direction.