Recent developments of wide-bandgap semiconductor based UV sensors

Ali Benmoussa (1) , Ali Soltani (2) , Udo Schühle (3) , Ken Haenen (4) , Y.M. Chong (5) , W.J. Zhang (5) , R. Dahal (6) , J.Y. Lin (6) , H.X. Jiang (6) , Hassan Ali Barkad (2) , B. Ben Moussa (4) , David Bolsée (7) , Christian Hermans (7) , Udo Kroth (8) , C. Laubis (8) , Vincent Mortet (4) , Jean-Claude de Jaeger (2) , B. Giordanengo (1) , M. Richter (8) , Frank Scholze (8) , Jean-François Hochedez (1)

1 ROB - Royal Observatory of Belgium = Observatoire Royal de Belgique
2 IEMN - Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520
3 MPS - Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
4 Institute for Materials Research [Diepenbeek]
5 COSDAF - Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films
6 Department of Physics [Kansas]
7 BIRA-IASB - Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy / Institut d'Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique
8 PTB - Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt [Berlin]

Future missions for space astronomy and solar research require innovative vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photodetectors. Present UV and VUV detectors exhibit serious limitations in performance, technology complexity and lifetime stability. New developments of metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) solar-blind photodetectors based on diamond, cubic boron nitride (c-BN), and wurtzite aluminium nitride (AlN) are reported. In the wavelength range of interest, the characteristics of the MSM photodetectors present extremely low dark current, high breakdown voltage, and good responsivity. Diamond, c-BN, and AlN MSM photodetectors are sensitive and stable under UV irradiation. They show a 200 nm to 400 nm rejection ratio of more than four orders of magnitude and demonstrate the advantages of wide band gap materials for VUV radiation detection in space.

Domaines: Instrumentation et méthodes pour l'astrophysique [astro-ph.IM]

Ali Benmoussa, Ali Soltani, Udo Schühle, Ken Haenen, Y.M. Chong, et al.. Recent developments of wide-bandgap semiconductor based UV sensors. Diamond and Related Materials, 2009, 18 (5-8), pp.860-864. ⟨10.1016/j.diamond.2008.11.013⟩. ⟨hal-00473642⟩