The paper presents a novel concept for the realization of optochemical sensor systems which are capable of operating in harsh environments. Key components in such sensors are nanostructures formed from gallium nitride (GaN) and its alloys with aluminum (Al) and indium (In). Nanostructures of this kind emit an efficient, visible-light photoluminescence (PL) which can be excited with low-cost ultraviolet light sources and which extends up to temperatures in the order of 200°C. When exposed to various chemical environments, changes in the PL intensity occur which constitute valuable sensor signals. Due to the all-optical approach, the PL can be excited and its chemically induced changes be read out without requiring electrical wiring at the point of measurement. The present paper presents this innovative sensor concept, the nanostructures and optochemical transducer structures that form its material base, as well as several applications of such transducers in the fields of gas and fluid sensing. The applications addressed here range from the sensing of ppb concentrations of H2, NO2 and O3 in gaseous environments to the pH monitoring in aqueous solutions.
The highly sensitive photoluminescence (PL) response of group III-Nitrides (III-N) nanowire heterostructures (NWHs) to hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) allows for the realization of reliable gas detectors. For industrial real time gas monitoring applications, e.g. in the field of aerospace, a large scale laboratory setup was miniaturized by integrating electro-optical components and the NWHs within a robust micro optical system. As a result of the all optical addressing and read out the detection periphery can be completely isolated from the investigated environment which significantly increases the detection sensitivity. The optical design and fabrication techniques as well as an experimental investigation of the system performance are the main topics discussed in this paper.
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