UV Light Detection Using Resonance Frequency of Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal

This article reported about the ultraviolet (UV) radiation effect on the resonance frequency response of a AT-cut piezoelectric quartz crystal. A large resonance frequency upshift was observed when the quartz crystal was irradiated by UV light of 355-nm wavelength using a Q-switched pulsed Nd:YVO
₄
UV laser. The dynamic frequency response behavior was systematically investigated by illuminating the quartz crystal with UV light in which the UV intensity was varied with time in staircase- and linear pulse-shaped patterns. From the experimental analysis, we measured the limit of detection and the sensitivity of the quartz crystal, which are about 0.5 mW/cm
²
and 0.706 Hz/(mW/cm
²
), respectively. For a constant UV irradiation, a moderate response (<;10 s) and recovery (<;10 s) times were achieved during the on and off cycles of the UV light. The short-term repeatability and maximum operating limit of AT-cut quartz crystal were also further studied upon exposure to UV light with different intensities. In this work, we not only demonstrate the impact of UV irradiation on quartz crystal but also discuss the mechanism of upshift in resonance frequency upon exposure to UV light. This study shows the applicability of quartz crystal for the detection of UV light.