New sensors based on gallium nitride could improve the detection of bioterror agents like anthrax. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Savannah said gallium nitride avalanche photodectors could provide real-time detection of bioterrorism agents like anthrax by inducing fluorescence in the biological molecules floating in the air at ultraviolet wavelengths. Since gallium nitride photodiodes do not respond to visible light, they enable noise-free avalanche photodetectors--unlike silicon photodiodes which require strong filters to reduce noise at visible wavelengths.
Text: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208801973
