Solid -State High Temperature Jet Engine Fire Detector

The objective of this project is to develop an inexpensive miniature solid-state high temperature sensor for detecting jet engine fires. Emissions from engine fires with spectra ranging from ultraviolet to IR can be detected over the wide-range of ambient light background only by high-temperature fast multi-range optical detectors allowing time- and space- resolved measurements in particular optical regions. PMT-based and the recently developed solid-state flame detectors that are composed of discrete UV and IR solid-state components are bulky, since they combine multiple components in one housing, sustain temperatures only up to 125°C, and are not capable of detecting the multi -band optical signal with high spatial resolution. Group III-nitride materials are superior for advanced UV detector fabrication due to their wide direct band gap and high thermal, chemical, mechanical, and radiation tolerance. Our preliminary data from GaN, AlGaN, and InGaN based photodiode structures grown on Si and Sapphire indicates that sensitivity in both the UV and IR ranges can be achieved from a single structure. Measurements performed on GaN/InGaN-based heterostructure chips show that they can be operated at temperatures over 300°C without internal or external cooling. In this a working prototype of a high-temperature engine fire detector will be developed.