Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application
This study presents a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based solar-blind ultraviolet-C (UV-C) corona sensor, marking the first reported use of HfO₂ as a sensing material for UV-C corona sensing. A 222 MHz two-port SAW delay line structure was selected as a sensor platform, and its optimal parameter...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Hyunho Lee Faisal Nawaz Eeunsun Shim Jinjae Lee Cheol Choi Keekeun Lee |
| author_facet | Hyunho Lee Faisal Nawaz Eeunsun Shim Jinjae Lee Cheol Choi Keekeun Lee |
| author_sort | Hyunho Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based solar-blind ultraviolet-C (UV-C) corona sensor, marking the first reported use of HfO₂ as a sensing material for UV-C corona sensing. A 222 MHz two-port SAW delay line structure was selected as a sensor platform, and its optimal parameters were determined through Coupling of Mode (COM) modeling analysis. COMSOL simulations were conducted to investigate the effect of UV-C exposure on the HfO<sub>2</sub> thin film, highlighting its contribution to conductivity changes. A 30 nm-thick HfO<sub>2</sub> thin film was deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD) within the cavity of a two-port SAW delay line, providing sufficient volume and density of absorption sites for UV-C exposure. Comprehensive material characterization of the HfO<sub>2</sub> thin film was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The effect of annealing temperature was analyzed in detail, with results confirming that 500 °C is the optimal temperature for achieving the best performance in a SAW-based UV-C corona sensor. The sensor characteristics were measured using custom-made interface electronics, allowing frequency shifts to be visually observed on a PC monitor with compensation for environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. The developed sensor demonstrated response and recovery times of 2.8 s and 4 s, respectively, with a measured sensitivity of 563 ppm/(mW·cm<sup>−2</sup>). Furthermore, the effect of HfO₂ film thickness on the sensor’s response to UV-C exposure was examined in detail, showing that increased thickness leads to a higher frequency shift, thereby enhancing sensitivity. The feasibility of the sensor for real-world applications was validated through successful testing under simulated corona discharge detection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a2d018481fc94a21ae77a61253b89257 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-a2d018481fc94a21ae77a61253b892572025-01-10T13:15:39ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115146410.3390/app15010464Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection ApplicationHyunho Lee0Faisal Nawaz1Eeunsun Shim2Jinjae Lee3Cheol Choi4Keekeun Lee5Department of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of KoreaKorea Electric Power Research Institute, Daejeon 34056, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of KoreaThis study presents a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based solar-blind ultraviolet-C (UV-C) corona sensor, marking the first reported use of HfO₂ as a sensing material for UV-C corona sensing. A 222 MHz two-port SAW delay line structure was selected as a sensor platform, and its optimal parameters were determined through Coupling of Mode (COM) modeling analysis. COMSOL simulations were conducted to investigate the effect of UV-C exposure on the HfO<sub>2</sub> thin film, highlighting its contribution to conductivity changes. A 30 nm-thick HfO<sub>2</sub> thin film was deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD) within the cavity of a two-port SAW delay line, providing sufficient volume and density of absorption sites for UV-C exposure. Comprehensive material characterization of the HfO<sub>2</sub> thin film was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The effect of annealing temperature was analyzed in detail, with results confirming that 500 °C is the optimal temperature for achieving the best performance in a SAW-based UV-C corona sensor. The sensor characteristics were measured using custom-made interface electronics, allowing frequency shifts to be visually observed on a PC monitor with compensation for environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. The developed sensor demonstrated response and recovery times of 2.8 s and 4 s, respectively, with a measured sensitivity of 563 ppm/(mW·cm<sup>−2</sup>). Furthermore, the effect of HfO₂ film thickness on the sensor’s response to UV-C exposure was examined in detail, showing that increased thickness leads to a higher frequency shift, thereby enhancing sensitivity. The feasibility of the sensor for real-world applications was validated through successful testing under simulated corona discharge detection.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/464surface acoustic wavesensorUV-CcoronaHfO<sub>2</sub> sensing materialoscillator |
| spellingShingle | Hyunho Lee Faisal Nawaz Eeunsun Shim Jinjae Lee Cheol Choi Keekeun Lee Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application Applied Sciences surface acoustic wave sensor UV-C corona HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing material oscillator |
| title | Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application |
| title_full | Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application |
| title_fullStr | Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application |
| title_short | Development of HfO₂-Based Solar-Blind SAW UV-C Sensor for Corona Discharge Detection Application |
| title_sort | development of hfo₂ based solar blind saw uv c sensor for corona discharge detection application |
| topic | surface acoustic wave sensor UV-C corona HfO<sub>2</sub> sensing material oscillator |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/464 |
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