The Siemens subsidiary Osram has launched a new halogen lamp on the market that is up to 30 percent more efficient than previous halogen lamps with the same level of power consumption and heat generation. The new XIR (xenon infrared) lamp is designed for use in areas such as operating rooms where light needs to be particularly bright.

For this purpose, the new XIR lamp was optimized to achieve greater luminous efficiency. When equipped with a corresponding optical system for focusing light, it is up to 50 percent brighter than other comparable lamps. To perform their work, surgeons require consistently bright light that allows them to accurately discern colors.
The lamp’s increased luminosity was achieved by applying a special infrared coating (IRC) to the light bulb. The transparent coating, which is only a few nanometers (millionths of a millimeter) thick, acts as a mirror that reflects the heat emitted by the filament as infrared rays and sends it back to the filament, which is heated to a temperature of almost 3,000 degrees Celsius. In addition to boosting efficiency, the heat recovery provides the lamp with a range of other benefits, including higher luminous efficiency, lower power consumption and longer life.

Another special feature of the new XIR lamps is that they are filled with the noble gas xenon, which Osram also uses in other halogen lamps such as car headlights. One of the side effects of this noble gas is that it improves luminous efficiency because it begins to glow when a high temperature is reached. What’s more, xenon extends the lamp’s life because it protects the filament from corrosion.