UV experts exchanged ideas at the International UV Workshop

Together with the industry association Advanced UV for Life e.V., Laser Components had developed a program around the short wavelength ranges UVC and Deep UV. UVC applications for disinfection and sterilization are currently among the most important innovation drivers in the industry. Already on the first day, many innovations were presented. For example, Phillip Jahn from Toptica Photonics AG presented a Deep UV high-power laser system developed by his company. As part of a joint project, it now serves as a 229 nm laser source for UV Raman spectroscopy. Their current research results were presented by Leo Schowalter from Nagoya University and Marco Jupé from Laserzentrum Hannover e.V. The UVC laser diodes developed in Japan with pseudomorphic AlGaN on single-crystal AlN substrates are already being used in industry - among other things for the production of UVC LEDs. In Hannover, the research focus is on the development of a new coating concept in which so-called quantum laminates (QNLs) are incorporated into the layer system. This allows the optical band edge and the refractive index to be adjusted more precisely and the damage threshold resistance to be increased.

The LED technologies, which were the subject of the presentations on the second day, are currently the subject of intense discussion, as UVC LEDs are seen as the technology of the future for the disinfection of water, air and surfaces. Jens Raß from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut informed the participants about the current state of Far UVC. One day earlier, another technology and its associated applications were shown in this area with the 222 nm excimer lamps from USHIO. The US manufacturer Bolb, Inc. has specialized in germicidal UVC LEDs and currently achieves the highest power from a chip at 265 nm with over 100 mW. The joint project DINoLED is already working on a DIN standard for the use of such LEDs in public drinking water treatment. The Korean company Photon Wave Co., Ltd. announced that it will soon also manufacture UVA LEDs with a wavelength of 340 nm. This will expand its extensive product line, which already covers UVB and UVC wavelengths, to include the entire ultraviolet spectrum. "The UV industry is constantly changing," says Olga Stroh-Vasenev, who is responsible for this product area at Laser Components. "Especially in the short-wave UVB and UVC spectra, there are no established standard solutions yet. With our workshops, we offer scientists, technicians and companies a platform to exchange knowledge and experience. The success of this series of events proves us right."