Sensorex (which manufactures sensors for water applications) has introduced the first family of ultraviolet transmittance (UVT) monitors using UVC LEDs instead of mercury-based lamps as a light source. The LEDs are supplied by Crystal IS Inc of Green Island, NY, USA, an Asahi Kasei company that makes proprietary ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UVC LEDs) grown pseudomorphically (strained) on aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates.
Crystal IS says that UVC LEDs offer light stability, instantaneous response and design freedom over mercury-based lamps. In particular, for environmental monitoring, UVC LEDs offer:
ease of use across multiple water treatment environments due to the smaller footprint (directly in a pipe, in an open channel, or used offline as a battery-operated handheld instrument); high spectral quality for measurement linearity over a wide range; and long lifetime and simple drive electronics that enable maintenance-free, continuous remote operation.
After Sensorex evaluated Crystal IS' UVC LEDs as a light source replacement to mercury-based lamps, testing confirmed that brighter, longer-lifetime UVC LEDs were a significant contribution to a UVT monitoring instrument that: is able to achieve full intensity instantly; optimizes UV disinfection dosage guaranteeing that systems are not under- or over-dosing water; and reveals cost savings greater than the one-time cost of purchasing the UVT monitor.
Crystal IS says that its UVC LEDs allow manufacturers to fully exploit the power of UV-based technology to improve productivity, increase accuracy and create greater flexibility in product designs. Made possible by the unique, low-defect AlN substrate, the firm's UVC LED technology delivers what is claimed to be superior light output, better spectral quality and best-in-class reliability and lifetimes for environmental monitoring, life sciences and analytical instrumentation.
The small footprint, long lifetime and low power consumption of Crystal IS' deep UV LED makes for "a versatile [UVT-LED] product with extremely stable readings in all conditions, over an extended lifetime," according to Sensorex's new business manager Dan Shaver.
