Sensitive GaN-based Chemical and Biological Detectors for Monitoring of Water Supplies

Effective monitoring is critical in protecting populations against the dangers of accidental or intentional contamination of water supplies. For both civilian and military operations, fast-acting remote sensors are needed that can detect a range of possible biological and chemical substances, below toxicity levels in water supplies, and report the results to central computers. Additionally, for troops these sensors should be portable, easy to install, and low-maintenance for long-time continuous operation. In this Phase I project, SVT Associates in collaboration with the University of Florida will demonstrate the feasibility of chemical and biological sensors based on III-nitride optical and electrical devices for fast, reliable and automated monitoring of hazardous materials in water supplies.