Electro-Optic Materials Research

Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD

Developing single photon UV detection for compact chemical and biological sensors.

This report summarizes the main lines of effort for the Electro-Optics Materials Research (EOMR) program including its goals and major accomplishments, focusing on the past 5 years. This EOMR program was an effort within 601102A.31B.1 titled “Optoelectronic and Integrated Photonic Materials and Device Research” for FY16-FY19 and 611102A.AA8.1 titled “Photonic Materials and Device Research” for FY20-FY21. The focus of this EOMR for most of the program was to develop novel semiconductor optoelectronic devices to reduce the size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) of chemical and biological detection and identification systems.

Specifically, the program addressed the need for high sensitivity photodetectors in the near-UV (NUV) spectrum between 300 and 350 nm for biological agent detection using light-induced fluorescence techniques employed by the Tactical Biological (TAC-BIO) detector, developed by the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, as well as in the deep UV spectrum (220-240 nm) important for standoff chemical detection based upon fluorescence-free Raman spectroscopy. Late in the program, this effort pivoted to address assured communications challenges relevant to the Army modernization priority for future networks through examining how to improve the efficiency of solar-blind UV LEDs.