Rapid inactivation of human respiratory RNA viruses by deep ultraviolet irradiation from light-emitting diodes on a high-temperature-annealed AlN/Sapphire template

Efficient and eco-friendly disinfection of air-borne human respiratory RNA viruses is pursued in both public environment and portable usage. The AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emission diode (LED) has high practical potentials because of its advantages of variable wavelength, rapid sterilization, environmental protection, and miniaturization. Therefore, whether the emission wavelength has effects on the disinfection as well as whether the device is feasible to sterilize various respiratory RNA viruses under portable conditions is crucial. Here, we fabricate AlGaN-based DUV LEDs with different wavelength on high-temperature-annealed (HTA) AlN/Sapphire templates and investigate the inactivation effects for several respiratory RNA viruses. The AlN/AlGaN superlattices are employed between the template and upper n-AlGaN to release the strong compressive stress (SCS), improving the crystal quality and interface roughness. DUV LEDs with the wavelength of 256, 265, and 278 nm, corresponding to the light output power of 6.8, 9.6, and 12.5 mW, are realized, among which the 256 nm-LED shows the most potent inactivation effect in human respiratory RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza A virus (IAV), and human parainfluenza virus (HPIV), at a similar light power density (LPD) of ~0.8 mW/cm² for 10 s. These results will contribute to the advanced DUV LED application of disinfecting viruses with high potency and broad spectrum in a portable and eco-friendly use.