Electro-Optic Materials Research (Summary Technical Report, 2017‒2021)

Author(s):

Gregory A Garrett and Anand V Sampath

Abstract:

This STR reviews research done on UV avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and LEDs within the electro-optic materials research program FY16‒FY21. The initial focus of this work was toward single photon UV detection for compact chemical and biological sensors. This thrust examined approaches for extending the sensitivity of silicon carbide-based APDs into the near UV and deep-UV spectrums to address applications for bio-fluorescence detection and fluorescence-free Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The second focus was on improving the efficiency of UV LEDs. This work examined carrier transport dynamics in 280-nm UV LEDs and ultimately examined novel nonpolar cubic materials as an approach to increase efficiency.