B. Giordanengo

193nm deep-ultraviolet solar-blind cubic boron nitride based photodetectors

Deep-ultraviolet (DUV) solar-blind photodetectors based on high-quality cubic boron nitride (cBN) films with a metal/semiconductor/metal configuration were fabricated. The design of interdigitated circular electrodes enables high homogeneity of electric field between pads. The DUV photodetectors present a peak responsivity at 180nm with a very sharp cutoff wavelength at 193nm and a visible rejection ratio (180 versus 250nm) of more than four orders of magnitude. The characteristics of the photodetectors present extremely low dark current, high breakdown voltage, and high responsivity, suggesting that cBN films are very promising for DUV sensing.

On-Orbit Degradation of Solar Instruments

We present the lessons learned about the degradation observed in several space solar missions, based on contributions at the Workshop about On-Orbit Degradation of Solar and Space Weather Instruments that took place at the Solar Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (Royal Observatory of Belgium) in Brussels on 3 May 2012. The aim of this workshop was to open discussions related to the degradation observed in Sun-observing instruments exposed to the effects of the space environment. This article summarizes the various lessons learned and offers recommendations to reduce or correct expected degradation with the goal of increasing the useful lifespan of future and ongoing space missions.

Pre-flight calibration of LYRA, the solar VUV radiometer on board PROBA2

Aims. LYRA, the Large Yield Radiometer, is a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) solar radiometer, planned to be launched in November 2009 on the European Space Agency PROBA2, the Project for On-Board Autonomy spacecraft. Methods. The instrument was radiometrically calibrated in the radiometry laboratory of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) at the Berlin Electron Storage ring for SYnchroton radiation (BESSY II). The calibration was done using monochromatized synchrotron radiation at PTBs VUV and soft X-ray radiometry beamlines using reference detectors calibrated with the help of an electrical substitution radiometer as the primary detector standard. Results. A total relative uncertainty of the radiometric calibration of the LYRA instrument between 1% and 11% was achieved. LYRA will provide irradiance data of the Sun in four UV passbands and with high temporal resolution down to 10 ms. The present state of the LYRA pre-flight calibration is presented as well as the expected instrument performance.

10 µm pixel-to-pixel pitch hybrid backside illuminated AlGaN-on-Si imagers for solar blind EUV radiation detection

We present the first measurement results from hybrid AlGaN-on-Si-based Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) imagers with 10 µm pixel-to-pixel pitch. The 256×256 backside illuminated Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) were hybridized to dedicated Si-based CMOS Readouts (ROICs). The AlGaN active layer with 40% Al concentration provides an intrinsic rejection of wavelengths larger than 280 nm (solar blindness), together with enhanced radiation hardness (1). Sensitivity in Deep UV (DUV), Far UV (FUV) and Extreme UV (EUV) was verified using synchrotron radiation down to a wavelength of 1 nm.

Backside-Illuminated GaN-on-Si Schottky Photodiodes for UV Radiation Detection

In this letter, we report on the fabrication of near-ultraviolet photodetectors based on gallium nitride (GaN) layers grown on a Si(111) substrate. Optoelectronic characterization was performed using front-side and backside illumination, the latter possible by locally etching the Si substrate under the detectors using reactive ion etching. The dark current after removal of the Si substrate decreased by two orders of magnitude to around 20 fA at -1 V for a 300-mum-diameter Schottky photodiode. Responsivity at the cutoff wavelength (370 nm) was equal to 35 mA/W for the backside illumination. Detection at smaller wavelengths was not possible due to a nonoptimized layer stack. These first results do however illustrate the potential of backside-illuminated GaN-on-Si Schottky photodiodes in 2-D UV imagers.

Characterization of Backside-Illuminated CMOS APS Prototypes for the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager On-Board Solar Orbiter

For the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) of the Solar Orbiter mission, to be launched in 2017, CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) prototypes have been developed with several test pixel designs. A set of measurements was carried out to evaluate their performance characteristics in visible and in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. We present the results of measurement campaigns that lead to the selection of a preferred pixel design in regard to the scientific performance requirements of the EUI flight model detectors, i.e., back-thinned CMOS APS devices of 2048 × 2048 and 3072 × 3072 pixel formats with a 10-μm pixel pitch.

AlGaN-on-Si-Based 10-

We report on the fabrication of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) hybrid imagers with backside-illuminated detector chip based on aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) layers grown on silicon and integrated with CMOS readout chip. The focal plane array (FPA) size is 256 × 256 pixels with 10-μm pixel-to-pixel pitch. The devices were characterized at wavelengths from 300 down to 1 nm using synchrotron radiation. An upper cutoff wavelength of 280 nm was observed, as expected from the AlGaN active layer composition (40% Al). Thus, the imagers have a high rejection ratio of the near UV and visible radiation. Moreover, no degradation due to proton irradiation was observed for 60-MeV energy and 5 ·1010 protons/cm2 dose. Furthermore, devices with thin silicon substrate layer that is intentionally left were fabricated, and response only in the EUV range was observed. These results demonstrate the possibility of achieving high-resolution EUV imaging with AlGaN-based FPAs, which is very promising for high-end industrial, scientific, and space applications.

\mu\hbox{m}

For next space-based ultraviolet (UV) solar radiometers, we propose a design based on subsystem components that are selected according to lessons learned from previous flying missions and ground irradiation campaigns. UV interference filters inherited from space-based solar missions show strong degradation caused by structural changes that lead to an important decrease of visible light rejection. Wide bandgap semiconductors (WBGS) are used for the photodetectors: innovative metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) based on Aluminum Nitride (AlN) and Diamond-based PIN photodetectors were developed, characterized and compared to the commonly used silicon photodiode technology (AXUV and SXUV types). Insignificant degradation of the WBGS based-photodetector performances were observed after exposure to protons of 14.4 MeV energy showing a good radiation tolerance up to fluences of 1x10^11 p+/cm2. Onboard calibration strategy based on UV LEDs are used as well to distinguish the detectors drift from inevitable degradations of the optical front filters.

Pixel-to-Pixel Pitch Hybrid Imagers for the EUV Range

Photodetectors designed for the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) range with the Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) active layer are reported. AlGaN layers were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on Si(111) wafers. Different device structures were designed and fabricated, including single pixel detectors and 2D detector arrays. Sensitivity in different configurations was demonstrated, including front- and backside illumination. The latter was possible after integration of the detector chips with dedicated Si-based readouts using high-density In bump arrays and flip-chip bonding. In order to avoid radiation absorption in silicon, the substrate was removed, leaving a submicron-thin membrane of AlGaN active layer suspended on top of an array of In bumps. Optoelectrical characterization was performed using different UV light sources, also in the synchrotron beamlines providing radiation down to the EUV range. The measured cut-off wavelength of the active layer used was 280 nm, with a rejection ratio of the visible radiation above 3 orders of magnitude. Spectral responsivity and quantum efficiency values

Design and Radiation Hardness of Next Generation Solar UV Radiometers

The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument for the Solar Orbiter mission will image the solar corona in the extreme ultraviolet (17.1 nm and 30.4 nm) and in the vacuum ultraviolet (121.6 nm) spectral ranges. The development of the EUI instrument has been successfully completed with the optical alignment of its three channels’ telescope, the thermal and mechanical environmental verification, the electrical and software validations, and an end-toend on-ground calibration of the two-units’ flight instrument at the operating wavelengths. The instrument has been delivered and installed on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which is now undergoing all preparatory activities before launch.