Solid-State Ultraviolet Detectors for Fire and Explosion Detection.

Silicon carbide SiC ultraviolet detectors were fabricated from sublimation grown crystals. Aluminum or boron was used as the p-type dopants and nitrogen was the n-type dopant. The junction depth was reduced to the proper thickness using chlorine etching andor molten salt etching. Contact to the base of the detector was made with tungsten disks. Small tungsten disks or rings with tantalum wire attachments were used as the top contact, replacing the previously used gold wire. A completely new encapsulation was designed and fabricated. This package utilizes the zero expansion concept and is demountable to permit the installation of additional detectors. Author