Additional information is available at the end of the chapter http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/58349 Introduction This Chapter covers recent advances in nanostructured based detector technology, materials and devices for optical sensing applications. The authors have many years of experience working nanotechnologies that include a variety of semiconductors and other advanced materials such as GaN, ZnO, Si/SiGe, CNT and Graphene for optical sensing applications. Optical sensing technology is critical

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... r defense and commercial applications including optical communication. Advances in optoelectronics materials in the UV, Visible and Infrared, using nanostructures, and use of novel materials such as CNT and Graphene have opened doors for new approaches to apply device design methodology that are expected to offer enhanced performance and low cost optical sensors in a wide range of applications. We will cover the UV band (200-400 nm) and address some of the recent advances in nanostructures growth and characterization using GaN/AlGaN, ZnO/MgZnO based technologies and their applications. We will also discuss nanostructure based Si/SiGe technologies (400-1700 nm) that will cover various bands of interest in visible-near infrared for detection and optical communication applications. The chapter will also discuss some of the theoretical and experimental results in these detector technologies. Recent advancements in design and development of CNT based detection technologies have shown promise for optical sensor applications. We will present theoretical and experimental results on these device and their potential applications in various bands of interest. The Ultraviolet spectrum has been of interest for a variety of sensors for defense and commercial applications. The UV band is from 250-400 nanometers as shown in the figure 1. This band can be further divided into UVA and UVB bands. Each of these bands has applications for sensors, detectors and LED applications. Figure 1. Overview of UV and Visible Spectral Band [1] Figure 2. Definition of IR Spectral Band [1].