Mercury-Free Solid State

Deep UV Light Sources

for Disinfection and Analysis
Max Shatalov, Yuri Bilenko, Olga Bilenko, Alex Lunev, Igor Shturm, Michael S. Shur, Remis Gaska

LED Devices

Variety of Emission Wavelengths (240-365 nm)

0.5-1.5 mW at 20 mA CW Operation
> 100 mW Short Pulse Operation (<50 ns)

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is an attractive alternative to traditional

chemical processes, which require temperature and pH control
and often create substantial amounts of disinfection by-products.
Currently, low- and medium-pressure mercury vapor lamps are the
only UV light sources used for water disinfection in municipal facilities
and smaller scale industrial and residential air and water purification
systems. Deep UV semiconductor light emitting diodes (LEDs)
represent new class of UV light sources that are environmentally safe,
easily reconfigurable, compact, robust, and inexpensive.
Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. has developed DUV LEDs
and multiple chip LED lamps based on various hermetically sealed
packaging platforms. UV LED lamps emitting at 280-285nm exhibit
CW optical power over 50mW with dissipated power around 15W and
an optical window of 0.5 inch. These mercury-free devices can be
directly powered by low-voltage sources such as batteries or solar
panels. The spectral power distribution of multiple chip LED lamps can
be controlled by appropriate electronics, enabling new applications in
water, air and food disinfection as well as in biomedical diagnostics.

UV LED Lamps

Compact Multiple Chip LED Lamp

Passive and Active Cooling
Single or Multiple Wavelengths
> 50 mW CW Operation 280 nm

UV LED Structure

Proprietary Fabrication Process

Patented Design of Active Layer
Advanced Packaging

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Mercury-Free Solid State Deep UV Light

Sources for Disinfection and Analysis
Applications

UV LED Powered from 5 W Solar Panel

Typical UV LED requires 0.12-0.13 W / chip of DC power. A number of these

LEDs can be powered from solar panels enabling UV light sources for water
disinfection in rural and remote areas with little or no access to infrastructure.

Native Fluorescence Sensing

with UV LED Excitation

Feasibility studies were performed for E. coli in water (> 1000 CFU / 100 mL) using 280 nm DUV LED
(~ 0.5 mW at 20 mA CW) excitation. Fluorescence spectra measurements showed strong peak at
350 nm attributed to E. coli. enabling development of practical UV LED based fluorescence sensors.

Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under
Grant No. 0620525 and 0610828 and SC EPSCoR/IDeA SBIR Phase 0 Grants.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or SC EPSCoR/IDeA.

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