Visible and solar blind UV detector arrays with spectrum below visible light or solar blind avoid interference from visible light and solar radiation. A candidate for UV detectors is ZnO with a high bandgap of 3.4 eV. ZnO with combinations of Mg or Cd can be tuned to absorb ultraviolet light from 210 nm to 450 nm. Banpil is developing visible and solar blind photodetectors using ZnO nanowires grown at temperatures below 400C to facilitate direct ZnO growth on silicon ROICs providing maximum photon absorption. Potential candidates to combine with ZnO to increase the bandgap potential are MgO and BeO. Solution methods were developed to grow ZnBeO nanowires and solution methods to overcome the ZnO wurtzite, MgO cubic and miscibility gap to grow ZnMgO nanowires. Modeling, simulation, process steps to grow ZnBeO and ZnMgO using electrophoresis and final measurement results are shown for generating ZnBeO and ZnMgO nanowire solar and visible blind sensors.

Date Published: 23 May 2011
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 8046, Unattended Ground, Sea, and Air Sensor Technologies and Applications XIII, 80460M (23 May 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.888013

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8046:
Unattended Ground, Sea, and Air Sensor Technologies and Applications XIII
Edward M. Carapezza, Editor(s)