Developments, characterization and proton irradiation damage tests of AlN detectors for VUV solar observations

For next generation spaceborne solar ultraviolet radiometers, innovative metal–semiconductor–metal detectors based on wurtzite aluminum nitride are being developed and characterized. A set of measurement campaigns and proton irradiation damage tests was carried out to obtain their ultraviolet-to-visible characterization and degradation mechanisms. First results on large area prototypes up to 4.3 mm diameter are presented here. In the wavelength range of interest, this detector is reasonably sensitive and stable under brief irradiation with a negligible low dark current (3–6 pA/cm2). No significant degradation of the detector performance was observed after exposure to protons of 14.4 MeV energy, showing a good radiation tolerance up to fluences of 1 × 1011 protons/cm2