AlGaN/InGaN photocathode development

An increase in quantum efficiency in photodetectors could result in a proportional reduction in the area of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes and an even larger reduction in cost. We report on the development of high quantum efficiency, high gain, UV/blue photon-counting detectors based on AlGaN/InGaN photocathode heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. This research could eventually result in nearly ideal light detectors with a number of distinct advantages over existing technologies for numerous applications in high-energy physics and particle astrophysics. Potential advantages include much lower noise detection, better stability and radiation resistance than other cathode structures, high VUV sensitivity and very low radioactive background levels for deep underground experiments, and high detection efficiency for the detection of individual VUV-visible photons. We are also developing photocathodes with intrinsic gain, initially improving the detection efficiency of hybrid semiconductor-vacuum tube devices and eventually leading to a new type of all-solid-state photomultiplier device.