A Review on Fluorescent Lamps Having Noncircular Cross-sections

We review discharge characteristics of fluorescent lamps having noncircular cross sections. The developmental and theoretical history of noncircular cross-section lamps is summarized chronologically. In particular, discharge characteristics of noncircular cross-section lamps will be summarized and analyzed including plasma contraction, electron temperature, and ambipolar diffusion loss, which might give us some insights into the way to develop more efficient and uniform flat fluorescent lamps, which have recently arisen as a new light source of large-size backlight units for LCD TV applications.