SOLAR-BLIND UV PHOTODETECTORS FOR LARGE-AREA APPLICATIONS

In this paper, we extensively investigate a family of solar-blind thin -film photodetectors optimized for the ultraviolet spectrum (UV), The devices are p-i-n structures made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a -Si:H) and silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) on a glass substrate, At room tem perature the photodetectors exhibit values of quantum efficiency of 20 % at lambda = 187 nm, and are transparent to the visible radiation, Th e excellent sensitivity of the device at short wavelengths is explaine d within the frame of a diffusive model of transport, taking into acco unt the effects of hot carrier relaxation, The rejection of the visibl e light is obtained with an appropriate design of the energy gap and t hickness of the intrinsic layer, The great advantage of this technolog y lies in the possibility to produce low-cost, large-area array of pho todetectors.