Visible-blind and solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors based on GaN/AlGaN were designed, fabricated, and characterized for commercial and military applications. High performance back-illuminated solar-blind MSM achieved external quantum efficiency of ~48%. The dark current of 40x40μm MSM was less than the instrument measurement limitation of 20fA for a bias <100V. No photoconductive gain was observed. With an n-type doped high-Al ratio "window" Al₀.₆Ga₀.₄N layer, back-illuminated solar-blind p-i-n photodiode achieved a quantum efficiency of ~55% at zero-bias. Absorption edge study of both MSM and p-i-n photodetectors, based on device spectral responses, resulted in a performance comparison of MSMs and p-i-ns, as the solar-blind photodetection requires a sharp solar-blind rejection. Photoconductive detectors and avalanche photodetectors, with the internal gain advantage, have been discussed as well. A 30μm diameter GaN avalanche photodiode achieved a gain >23, with a dark current less than 100pA. The breakdown showed a positive temperature coefficient of 0.03 V/K that is characteristic of avalanche breakdown. SiC APDs, as candidates for visible-blind applications, have been designed, fabricated and characterized. An avalanche gain higher than 10⁵, with a dark current less than 1nA, showed the potential of SiC APD replacing PMTs for high sensitivity visible-blind UV detection. A silicon-based optical receiver has been presented in the Appendix. With the photodiode internal avalanche gain ~4, a sensitivity ~-6.9dBm at 10Gbps has been achieved. / text

The use of an attached sunspace is one of the most popular passive solar heating techniques. One of the main drawbacks of the sunspace is getting over heated by the sun energy during the hot season of the year. Even in northern climates overheating could be problematic and there is a considerable cooling demand. Shading is one of the most efficient and cost effective strategies to avoid overheating due to the high irradiation especially in the summer. Another strategy is using ventilation system to remove the excess heat inside the sunspace. However this rejected energy can be captured and stored for future energy demands of the sunspace itself or nearby buildings. Therefore the Solar blind system has been considered here for the shielding purpose in order to reduce the cooling demand. By considering the PV/T panels as the solar blind, the blocked solar energy will be collected and stored for covering part of the heating demand and the domestic hot water supplies of the adjacent building.  From a modeling point of view, the sunspace can be considered as a small-scale closed greenhouse. In the closed greenhouse concept, available excess heat is indeed utilized in order to supply the heating demand of the greenhouse itself as well as neighboring buildings. The energy captured by PV/T collectors and the excess heat from the sunspace then will be stored in a thermal energy storage system to cover the daily and seasonal energy demand of the attached building. In the present study, a residential building with an attached sunspace with height, length and width of 3, 12 and 3.5 meters respectively has been assumed located in two different locations, Stockholm and Rome. Simulations have been run for the Solar blind system integrated with a short-term and a long-term TES systems during a year to investigate the influence of the sunspace equipped with a PV/T Solar blind on the thermal behavior of the adjacent building. The simulated results show that the Solar blind system can be an appropriate and effective solution for avoiding overheating problems in sunspace and simultaneously produce and store significant amount of thermal energy and electricity power which leads to saving considerable amount of money during a year.

Wide bandgap semiconductors have been broadly investigated for their potential to detect and emit high energy ultraviolet (UV) photons. Advancements in deep UV optoelectronic materials would enable the efficient and affordable realization of many medical, industrial and consumer UV optical devices. The traditional growth method, vacuum deposition, is an extremely complicated and expensive process. Sol-gel processing dramatically simplifies facility requirements and can be scaled to industrial size. The work presented here involves a novel study of the ternary wide bandgap material Ni1-xMgxO. Films were developed by sol-gel spin coating for investigation of material and electrical properties. This method produced films 200-600 nm thick with surface roughness below 4 nm RMS. Sintered films indicated an improvement from 60% to 90% transmission near the band edge. Additionally, compositional analysis was performed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and film defects were characterized by photoluminescence using a continuous wave He-Cd UV laser, revealing the expected oxygen defect at 413nm. This film growth technique has produced thin polycrystalline films with low surface roughness and a high degree of crystalline orientation; crucial characteristics for semiconductor devices. These films have demonstrated the ability to be tuned over the full compositional range from the bandgap of NiO (3.6 eV) to that of MgO (7.8 eV). Optoelectronic devices produced by standard photolithographic techniques are discussed as well as the electrical transport properties of their metal contacts. Based on initial results, these films have demonstrated strong potential as solar blind detectors of UV radiation.

Solar-blind Ultraviolet cameras are used to detect missile plumes and perform the detection of corona on high voltage electrical lines. This study investigates the influence of the spectral transfer function of a specific solar-blind Ultraviolet camera upon Ultraviolet energy measurement results. In addition to the spectral transfer response investigated, is the influence of other related factors, including the specific camera operation and design. The possibility that the particular camera‟s measurements are being influenced by its own spectral transfer function, is initially investigated by using a simplified model. The objective of the model was to determine if the hypothesis is possible. In addition to the spectral transfer function of the camera, other factors that could influence camera measurements were also investigated in the literature. Included are highlights from other research conducted utilising this type of camera for high voltage electrical purposes, as well as comments for further research. Subsequently experiments were executed to characterise the camera, including the determination of the spectral transfer function of the specific camera, taking into considering limitations of the camera and related equipment. Derived from the spectral transfer of the camera and the other experiments and literature, a proposed method of calibration is presented, as well as suggestions for the improvement of the camera and better utilisation thereof. / Son-blind ultraviolet kameras word gebruik om missiel uitlaat gasse sowel as korona op hoogspannings kraglyne op te spoor. Die studie ondersoek die invloed van die spektrale oordragfunksie van „n spesifieke son-blind ultraviolet kamera op ultraviolet energie meetingsresultate. Addisioneel tot die spektrale response geondersoek, is die invloed van ander verwante faktore op metings insluitend die spesifieke kamera se werking en ontwerp. Die moontlikheid dat die spesifieke kamera se metings beïnvloed word deur sy eie spektrale oordragfunksie, word aanvanklik eers ondersoek aan die hand van ‟n eenvoudige model. Die doel van die model is om te bepaal of die hipotese moontlik is. Addisioneel tot die spektrale oordragfunksie van die kamera, word ander faktore wat die kamerametings kon beïnvloed het, ook ondersoek in die literatuur. Ingesluit is hoogtepunte van ander navorsing wat die tipes kameras gebruik vir hoogspannings elektriese doeleindes, plus kommentaar vir verdere navorsing. Vervolgens is eksperimente uitgevoer om die kamera te karakteriseer, insluitend die bepaling van die spesifieke kamera se spektrale oordragfunksie, met inagneming van die beperkings van kamera en verwante toerusting. Afgelei uit die spektrale oordragfunksie van die kamera en die ander eksperimente en literatuurstudie, is „n voorgestelde kalibrasiemetode aangebied, asook voorstelle vir die verbetering en die kamera en meer effektiewe gebruik daarvan. / Dissertation (MEng (Electronic Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / MEng (Electronic Engineering) / Unrestricted

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