Abstract: A backlight unit has an external electrode fluorescent lamp in an housing. The external electrode fluorescent lamp includes a glass bulb having a discharge space inside, and electrodes around both ends of the glass bulb. A protective layer and a phosphor layer are formed on an internal surface of the glass bulb in this order. The glass bulb is made of soda glass, and sodium oxide precipitated from this soda glass appears on part of the internal surface of the glass bulb where the protective layer is not formed, so as to be exposed to the discharge space.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a phosphor suspension to be applied to an inner surface of a glass bulb of a fluorescent lamp, and a fluorescent lamp manufactured with use of the phosphor suspension. The method comprising the steps of kneading a mixture (38) of a small amount of solvent (32) including a thickening agent and a phosphor powder (30), and agitating the mixture after adding a solvent (40) including a thickening agent and a binding agent, and a metal compound as a coating agent (42) to the mixture. The fluorescent lamp pertaining to the present invention includes a phosphor layer formed by applying the phosphor suspension manufactured by the above-described method to the inner surface of the glass bulb, drying the suspension, and baking the suspension. Since the method pertaining to the present invention comprises the step of kneading, the phosphor particles included in the formed phosphor layer are densely arranged.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp (20) includes a glass bulb (30) that has mercury enclosed therein, and a phosphor layer (32) formed on an inner side of the glass bulb (30). The phosphor layer (32) includes three types of phosphor particles, which are red phosphor particles (32R), green phosphor particles (32G) and blue phosphor particles (32B) that are excited by ultraviolet radiation to emit red light, green light and blue light respectively. The blue phosphor particles (32B) and green phosphor particles (32G) have a property of absorbing ultraviolet radiation with a wavelength of 313 nm.

Abstract: A backlight unit has an external electrode fluorescent lamp in a housing. The external electrode fluorescent lamp includes a glass bulb having a discharge space inside, and electrodes around both ends of the glass bulb. A protective layer and a phosphor layer are formed on an internal surface of the glass bulb in this order. The glass bulb is made of soda glass, and sodium oxide precipitated from this soda glass appears on part of the internal surface of the glass bulb where the protective layer is not formed, so as to be exposed to the discharge space.

Abstract: A backlight unit has an external electrode fluorescent lamp in an housing. The external electrode fluorescent lamp includes a glass bulb having a discharge space inside, and electrodes around both ends of the glass bulb. A protective layer and a phosphor layer are formed on an internal surface of the glass bulb in this order. The glass bulb is made of soda glass, and sodium oxide precipitated from this soda glass appears on part of the internal surface of the glass bulb where the protective layer is not formed, so as to be exposed to the discharge space.