Self-calibrating photodiodes for UV and exploitation of induced junction technology
Short Name: S-CALe Up, Project Number: 22IEM06
Improving self-calibrating photodiode standards for environmental monitoring and European industry
Photodiodes have a broad range of applications across industry, environmental monitoring, and medicine. As photonics and optics systems evolve to become more miniaturised and integrated, with some deployed to remote locations, new cost-effective standards for photodiodes are required. These standards are particularly relevant to detectors for the ultraviolet (UV) range, which are used in healthcare and Earth observation but suffer from a lack of stability.
This project builds on EMPIR project chipS·CALe, which packaged together two standards – photodiode-based Predictable Quantum Efficient Detectors (PQED) and cryogenic electrical substitution radiometers (ESR) – to create a so-called ‘NMI-on-a-chip’. These built-in standards are ideal for miniature, integrated or remote systems as they are self-calibrating.
The project will improve on this work by developing new 3D simulation models of PQED to improve quantum yield predictions and improve uncertainty. It will also test PQEDs as built-in references across a range of applications, such as fibre optics. The project will develop improved photodiodes in the UV range, validating their stability and suitability as a standard, and also extend the spectral response range of photodiodes in the UV and near-infrared ranges, reducing uncertainty.
The outcomes of the project will help to ensure accuracy for photonics and optics systems, even for those that are difficult to access in-situ. This will increase confidence in the industries, environmental monitoring efforts and medicinal applications which utilise them and enable further miniaturisation for these systems and standards, opening new applications for the future.