An Introduction to Ultraviolet Detectors Based on III Group-Nitride Semiconductor

Abstract

Abstract Ultraviolet (UV) detectors are drawing increasing attention in the past decades due to their reliable application in industrial, environmental, and even spatial fields. Among all of the candidate materials for UV detector, III group-nitride semiconductors—typically (In, Al) GaN—have stand out for their good thermal stability and conductivity, high response speed and breakdown electric-field, as well as robust radiation hardness. In this article, the author comes up with possible improvements on structural defects-induced degradation of device by providing a comprehensive introduction to the conventional device classification and principles of UV detectors as well as up-to-date processing arts of III group-nitride materials for UV detectors. Finally, we conclude with the promising nano-structured GaN-based UV detectors and expect their applications under super thermo-stable requirements.