Abstract
This paper reports on the transmission by a thin silver filter of the UV-B band, and on the suitability of this filter for use in combination with a silicon photodiode to make a simple, versatile detector for the UV-B band. The UV-B band, from 280 to 320 nanometers, is considered the most dangerous region of ultraviolet sunlight which reaches the earth's surface, since it is the most likely UV radiation to cause skin cancer. Skin cancer cases are increasing, and the increase is linked to increased surface UV radiation due to the thinning levels of stratospheric ozone. Thus, there is a need to develop simple methods for monitoring UV-B. The fortuitous transmission of silver films in the UV-B band, known to the authors from a single reference, has apparently been overlooked in recent instrumentation papers. The transmission and detectivity measurements given here indicate that thin silver films may indeed have a use in simple UV-B exposure meters.
