title: Single Photon Counting UV Solar-Blind Detectors Using Silicon and III-Nitride Materials.
abstract: Ultraviolet (UV) studies in astronomy, cosmology, planetary studies, biological and medical applications often require precision detection of faint objects and in many cases require photon-counting detection. We present an overview of two approaches for achieving photon counting in the UV. The first approach involves UV enhancement of photon-counting silicon detectors, including electron multiplying charge-coupled devices and avalanche photodiodes. The approach used here employs molecular beam epitaxy for delta doping and superlattice doping for surface passivation and high UV quantum efficiency. Additional UV enhancements include antireflection (AR) and solar-blind UV bandpass coatings prepared by atomic layer deposition. Quantum efficiency (QE) measurements show QE > 50% in the 100-300 nm range for detectors with simple AR coatings, and QE ≅ 80% at ~206 nm has been shown when more complex AR coatings are used. The second approach is based on avalanche photodiodes in III-nitride materials with high QE and intrinsic solar blindness.
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. shouleh.nikzad@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Shouleh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikzad
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. michael.hoenk@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoenk
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. April.D.Jewell@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: April D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Jewell
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. John.J.Hennessy@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. Alexander.G.Carver@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Carver
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. todd.jones@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Todd J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. timothy.goodsall@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Timothy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Goodsall
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. hamden@caltech.edu.
authors.forename: Erika T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Hamden
authors.affiliation: College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY 12203, USA. psuvarna@albany.edu.
authors.forename: Puneet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suvarna
authors.affiliation: College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY 12203, USA. jbulmer@albany.edu.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bulmer
authors.affiliation: College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY 12203, USA. sshahedipour-sandvik@albany.edu.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shahedipour-Sandvik
authors.affiliation: Department of Microelectronics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. e.charbon@tudelft.nl.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Charbon
authors.affiliation: Department of Microelectronics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. PreethiPadmanabhan@student.tudelft.nl.
authors.forename: Preethi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. bruce.hancock@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hancock
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. lloyddoug.bell@jpl.nasa.gov.
authors.forename: L Douglas
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Bell
keywords: ALD; APD; Avalanche; EMCCD; GaN; MBE; MOCVD; ROIC; quantum efficiency; ultraviolet; visible rejection