Ultraviolet Photodetector Technologies and Applications
Summary
Ultraviolet photodetectors convert UV radiation into measurable electrical signals across the UVA, UVB and UVC spectral bands. Leveraging wide bandgap semiconductors such as GaN, AlGaN, ZnO, TiO₂ and SiC, these devices serve critical roles in environmental monitoring (for ozone and pollution measurement), flame and corona detection, secure optical communications, astronomical sensing and biomedical diagnostics. Core device architectures include photoconductors, Schottky diodes, metal–semiconductor–metal detectors and p–n or p–i–n junctions, each distinguished by its carrier-separation mechanism and bias requirements. Recent advances exploit nanoscale geometries—nanowires, quantum dots and two-dimensional layers—to amplify surface-to-volume ratios, enhance responsivity and accelerate response times into the microsecond regime. Heterostructures and core–shell assemblies are deployed to suppress recombination, reduce dark current and enable self-powered operation. Key performance metrics encompass responsivity, specific detectivity, dark-current noise, temporal response and long-term stability. Emerging trends focus on flexible substrates, on-chip integration and wearable configurations, driving compact, low-cost and high-performance solutions suitable for civil, military and industrial applications.
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Ultraviolet Photodetector Technologies and Applications publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in ultraviolet photodetector technologies and applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Photoconductive device: A detector in which illumination generates electron–hole pairs, increasing semiconductor conductivity.
Schottky barrier: A metal–semiconductor junction that creates a rectifying potential, enabling photogenerated carrier separation.
Metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) detector: A configuration with interdigitated metal contacts on a semiconductor, providing fast photodetection and low capacitance.
p–n junction: An interface between p-type and n-type semiconductor layers that separates charge carriers under built-in electric field.
Responsivity: The ratio of output photocurrent to incident optical power, measured in amperes per watt (A W⁻¹).
Specific detectivity: A normalised sensitivity metric that accounts for detector area and noise, expressed in Jones (cm Hz¹ᐟ² W⁻¹).
Self-powered photodetector: A device that operates without an external bias, utilising internal potentials at heterojunctions for charge separation.
Heterostructure: A multilayer assembly of dissimilar semiconductors engineered to optimise band alignment, carrier dynamics and recombination rates.
References
- Heterostructured core-shell metal oxide-based nanobrushes for ultrafast UV photodetectors. Materials Science and Engineering R Reports (2024).
- Ultraviolet Detectors Based on Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Nanowire: A Review. Sensors (2018).
- ZnO-Based Ultraviolet Photodetectors. Sensors (2010).
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