Production and Validation of Novel SiC UV Instrumentation for Astronomy and Planetary Applications

Visible blindness represents a fundamental requirement for UV photodetectors to achieve high sensitivity measurements across diverse scientific applications for planetary science, Earth atmospheric monitoring, and astrophysical observations. Scattered visible light contamination often overwhelms target UV signals by orders of magnitude, substantially reducing signal-to-noise ratios. This study addresses the critical need for visible-blindness in UV photodetectors by developing Silicon Carbide (SiC) technology as a superior alternative to conventional materials like silicon for space applications. Wide bandgap materials, particularly SiC, offer compelling advantages in photodetector applications, including intrinsic visible-blind characteristics, with SiC's bandgap creating a natural cutoff at 380 nm without requiring external filters, while providing exceptional radiation hardness, thermal stability, and ultra-low dark current essential for space applications. This work presents our ongoing efforts to develop and characterize of SiC-based UV photodetector arrays featuring multistage fabrication of SiC photodiode arrays with varied dimensions (25μm×200μm to 50μm×500μm) and junction architectures (n+/p and n-/p configurations), followed by integration with readout circuitry, and comprehensive validation through fundamental characterization studies including quantum efficiency and dark current analysis. Performance validation showed SiC detectors with peak quantum efficiency exceeding 0.4 at 280 nm and sub-pA, approaching fA, dark current levels at zero bias without cooling, substantially surpassing requirements for demanding UV detection application such as formaldehyde detection in atmospheric spectroscopy. Laboratory testing validates the capability to detect low-concentration formaldehyde, with planned radiation harness testing to simulate space environments. These SiC-based UV photodetectors show transformative potential for next-generation space-based UV observations spanning exoplanet atmospheric characterization, solar system exploration, and human space exploration (e.g., Moon or Mars) UV monitoring requirements.