
The majority of digital cameras and sensors such as the Raspberry Pi camera, when they are used unaltered, are sensitive only to visible light. This makes sense, as most of the time we want to take pictures which resemble what we see with our eyes! However, by removing certain layers from the surface of the camera sensor we can significantly increase the sensitivity to UV light at the wavelengths needed to measure the absorption of UV light by sulphur dioxide for example (see Figure above and video below for example application at a power station). There are also several other UV imaging applications which could benefit. The development of this new method also necessitated the purchase of new lenses (to focus the UV light onto the sensor) and the design of a new lens holder which was 3D printed. For full details see the published paper.
Being a part of the development of this new method from the outset has been fantastic fun, and it is always amazing when everything turns out better than expected!