Design and metrological studies of a reference UV- index detector

Abstract

Abstract The ultraviolet index UVI is a very important parameter used to inform the public about UV disadvantages . This can affect human health and lead to several issues. Many manufacturers have developed UV-index UVI radiometers based on the detection of the UV actinic spectral range. The response band of these radiometers is far from the actual actinic spectral range. This study aims to build a UVI detector of the actual actinic spectrum reaching the Earth to be used as a reference standard in the radiometry lab at NIS Egypt. The novelty of this study is the selection of a ready-manufactured sensor based on a GaP Schottky photodiode sensor to solve the defects in the present UVI radiometer and a careful selection of a short-pass filter and transmission diffuser. The calibration and measurement facilities available at NIS Egypt were used to describe the components. The designed detector response at 280–400 nm was used to capture the actual actinic spectrum. Several metrological studies were carried out in the laboratory to characterize the performance of the UVI detector, including spectral matching, angular response measurement, linearity, and spatial non-uniformity response. The results show and discuss the radiometric characterization of this detector.