High Quantum Efficiency AlGaN/InGaN Photodetectors
- Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). Physics Dept.
High efficiency photon counting detectors in use today for high energy particle detection applications have a significant spectral mismatch with typical sources and have a number of practical problems compared with conventional bialkali photomultiplier tubes. Numerous high energy physics experiments that employ scintillation light detectors or Cherenkov detectors would benefit greatly from photomultipliers with higher quantum efficiencies. The need for extending the sensitivity of photon detectors to the blue and UV wavebands comes from the fact that both Cherenkov light and some scintillators have an emission spectrum which is peaked at short wavelengths. This research involves the development of high quantum efficiency, high gain, UV/blue photon counting detectors based on AlGaN/InGaN photocathode heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The work could eventually lead to nearly ideal light detectors with a number of distinct advantages over existing technologies for numerous applications in high-energy physics and particle astrophysics. Potential advantages include much lower noise detection, better stability and radiation resistance than other cathode structures, very low radioactive background levels for deep underground experiments and high detection efficiency of individual UV-visible photons. We are also working on the development of photocathodes with intrinsic gain, initially improving the detection efficiency of hybrid semiconductor-vacuum tube devices, and eventually leading to an all-solid-state photomultiplier device.
- Research Organization:
- Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-07ER41492
- OSTI ID:
- 968011
- Report Number(s):
- FinalReport
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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