Chapter 19 PHOTODETECTORS

  1. 19.1 PHOTODETECTORS
    1. A. External and Internal Photoeffects
    2. B. General Properties
  2. 19.2 PHOTOCONDUCTORS
    1. A. Intrinsic Photoconductors
    2. B. Extrinsic Photoconductors
    3. C. Heterostructure Photoconductors
  3. 19.3 PHOTODIODES
    1. A. The p–n Photodiode
    2. B. The p–i–n Photodiode
    3. C. Heterostructure Photodiodes
  4. 19.4 AVALANCHE PHOTODIODES
    1. A. Conventional Avalanche Photodiodes
    2. B. History-and Position-Dependent Parameters
    3. C. Single-Photon and Photon-Number-Resolving Detectors
  5. 19.5 ARRAY DETECTORS
  6. 19.6 NOISE IN PHOTODETECTORS
    1. A. Photoelectron Noise
    2. B. Gain Noise
    3. C. Circuit Noise
    4. D. Signal-to-Noise Ratio and Analog Receiver Sensitivity
    5. E. Bit Error Rate and Digital Receiver Sensitivity
Image described by caption.

Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) discovered the photoelectric effect in 1887; its origin was explained by Einstein in 1905.

Image described by caption.

Siménis Denis (1781–1840) developed the fundamental probability distribution that describes photodetector noise.

 

A photodetector is a device whose electrical characteristics (e.g., current, voltage, resistance) vary when exposed to light. By converting the energy of the absorbed photons into a measurable form, it can be used to determine the photon flux (or optical power) of a light beam. It can also be used to display temporal and/or spatial interference between ...

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