Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!daemon
From: chuck@mitlns.mit.edu
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: UV light
Message-ID: <1990Sep12.165437.2788@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 12 Sep 90 16:22:52 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Distribution: sci
Organization: M.I.T. Lab for Nuclear Science
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-Message-Text-Follows-
In article <4092@disk.UUCP>, stevenw@disk.UUCP (Steven Weller) writes...
> 
> 
>I would like to make a UV light detector, but do not know
> 
>      a) what device I should use to detect UV light, and
> 
>      b) how to use it to achieve a meaningful intensity reading.
> 
>Any suggestions are welcome.  Please post or email.

  As long as you have reasonable intenisties a pin diode will work
fine, BUT, you need one that is not covered or has a quartz window.
the standard epoxy or glass windows won't work. You may need another
diode with a normal window to measure the non-uv light so you can subtract.

  Hammatsu is one company that specializes in these kind of detectors.

 For a once only deal I've cut the tops off of metal can detectors in 
a lathe. Works fine as long as they are in a relatively clean enviorment
for a reasonable amount of time. You have a LOT more problems with leakage
current with exposed detectors, they can work fine for months and suddenly
punt.

				Chuck@mitlns.mit.edu