The germ-killing effects of UV radiation, as well as the phenomenon of the sunburn, have been generally known since the beginning of the 20th century. This process is particularly effective in the UV-C range. The most widely used UV-C emitter is the mercury vapour lamp, which has an emission of 254 nm.They will soon be replaced by UV LEDs, which are now available commercially.

In addition to UV-C radiation, other radiation is also emitted. A power-regulating monitor diode, therefore, not only has to withstand high UV radiation doses, but also has to work selectively in a particular spectrum. SiC photodiodes have proven particularly useful in this application field for almost 20 years.