EXPERIMENT NO.

07
AIM : To Study Performance Analysis of Optical Link with Photodetector.

SOFTWARE: Scilab

THEORY :

Photodetectors, also called photosensors, are sensors of light or other electromagnetic radiation. A
photo detector has a p-n junction that converts light photons into current. The absorbed photons
make electron-hole pairs in the depletion region. Photodiodes and photo transistors are a few
examples of photo detectors. The photodetector is as essential element of any fiber optic system as
the optical fiber or the light source. Photodetectors can dictate the performance of a fiber optic
communication link.
Semiconductor Photodiodes:
Semiconductor photodiodes are the most commonly used detectors in optical fiber systems since
they provide good performance, being small in size, and are of low cost. Semiconductor
photodiodes are made of silicon, germanium, GaAs, InGaAs, etc.

How Does a Photodetector Work?

The following illustration shows how a photodetector work. The detector is electrically reverse-
biased. (In contrary, LEDs and Lasers are forward-biased to emit light).
In the first diagram, when there is no light, the reverse bias draws current-carrying electrons and
holes out of the p-n junction region, creating a depleted region, which stops current from passing
through the diode.
In the second illustration, when there are lights on the detector, photons with the proper energy
(wavelength) can create electron-hole pairs in this region by raising an electron from the valence
band to the conduction band, leaving a hole behind. The bias voltage causes these current carriers
to drift quickly away from the junction region, so a current flows proportional to the light hitting
the detector. The wavelengths at which the detector responds to light depend on the detector’s
material composition.
Output Photocurrent is given by

Ip= (ePin ) /(hf) = (ePin  ) /(h*C)

where  = Quantom Efficiency

e = Electron Charge = 1.6*10-19

Pin = Optical Power incident on photodetector
 = Wavelength
h = Plank's Constant = 6.6*10-34
c = Speed of Light = 3*108

Responsivity is given by

R = (e ) /(hC) = Ip/Pin

Energy of Photon is given by

E = (h*C)/
Then,
No. of Received Photons is given by

Nop = Pin/E

CODE:

clc ;
clear ;
// Let us consider quantum efficiency of 50% at a wavelength of 0.9 micrometres & mean
photocurrent is 10^-6 Amp
n = 50/100; //n = Quantum efficiency = 50% (given)
lambda =0.9*(10^ -6) ;
// ( a ) : Responsivity
// Responsivity R is related to the quantum efficiency n as R=(n*e* lambda) /(h*c)
e =1.6*(10^-19) ;
h =6.6*(10^-34) ;
c =3*(10^8) ;
R=(n*e* lambda )/(h*c);
disp ( 'AW^-1 ' , R, 'R= ' )

// ( b ) : Received optical power :

//R= Ip /P0
Ip =10^-6;
P0=Ip/R;
disp ( 'Watts ' ,P0 , ' Received optical power (P0 )= ' )

//No. of received photons :

E=(h*c)/( lambda );
disp ( 'Watts', E, 'E= ' )
// Optical power = No. of photons Energy of a photon
NOP = P0/E;
disp ( ' photons / sec ' , NOP , 'Number of photons= ' )

CONCLUSION: