GaN-based Ultraviolet Passive Pixel Sensor for UV Imager

An ultraviolet (UV) image sensor is an extremely important optoelectronic device used in scientific and medical applications because it can detect images that cannot be obtained using visible or infrared image sensors. Because photodetectors and transistors are based on different materials, conventional UV imaging devices, which have a hybrid-type structure, require additional complex processes such as a backside etching of a GaN epi-wafer and a wafer-to-wafer bonding for the fabrication of the image sensors. In this study, we developed a monolithic GaN UV passive pixel sensor (PPS) by integrating a GaN-based Schottky-barrier type transistor and a GaN UV photodetector on a wafer. Both individual devices show good electrical and photoresponse characteristics, and the fabricated UV PPS was successfully operated under UV irradiation conditions with a high on/off extinction ratio of as high as 103. This integration technique of a single pixel sensor will be a breakthrough for the development of GaN-based optoelectronic integrated circuits.