Steve Schear wrote...
"A detector that is only sensitive to this spectral region has the capability to operate in the daylight, even while pointing at the sun, and pick up little background radiation"
How much are UV receivers (note, not the same thing as a mere UV detector)? Gotta be kinda expensive, I would think (ie, in the 4-digit range), but I could be wrong.
I haven't checked but assume they should be relatively cheap. For example, I'm assuming this device isn't too expensive and the sensor itself should be available for a few $10s. http://www.ame-corp.com/UVB.htm
And preferably, it would be nice if it could run up to 11Meg/sec or so.
I don't think you will be able to get anywhere near multi-megabit data rates with inexpensive, omni-directional, optical systems. But that's needed for broadcast of entertainment .mp3 sterams.
Seems to me if one wanted broadcast, operating in the 1550-nm range and then using good old EDFAs might work, if one had the right kind of omnidirectional IR 'antenna' (or whatever such a thing would be called). Then of course, the broadcast cost would be kind of expensive (say $5000), but the detectors could be cheap ($100 or less). The only drawback here is fog (1550nm doesn't go too good through fog, but rain and snow are apparently fine).
Fabrication of efficient, high-power,isible wavelength emitters and sensors using nano-imprinting technologies should be feasible today. The advantage of this approach is that it need not employ materials using their bandgaps but simply resonant structures similar to RF circuits.
steve
