OPTICAL DETECTORS

INTRODUCTION
 THE PERFORMANCE AND COMPATIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS FOR DETECTORS
 HIGH SESITIVITY AT THE OPERATING WAVELENGTHS
 LARGE ELECTRICAL RESPONSE TO THE RECEIVED OPTICAL
SIGNAL
 SHORT RESPONSE TIME TO OBTAIN A SUITABLE BANDWIDTH
 A MINIMUM NOISE INTRODUCED BY THE DETECTOR
 STABILITY OF PERFORMANCE CHARACTERSTICS
 SMALL SIZE
 LOW BIAS VOLTAGE
 HIGH RELIABILITY
 LOW COST
DEVICE TYPES
 TO DETECT OPTICAL RADIATION IN THE NEAR INFRARED
REGION OF THE SPECTRUM, BOTH EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL
PHOTO EMISSION OF ELECTONS MAY BE UTILIZED
 INTERNAL PHOTO EMISSION DEVICES ESPECIALLY
SEMICONDUCTOR PHOTO DIODES WITH OR WITH OUT
INTERNAL GAIN PROVIDE GOOD PERFORMANCE AND
 COMPATABILITY WITH RELATIVELY LOW COST.
 EXTERNAL PHOTO EMISSION DEVICES ARE PHOTO
MULTIPLIERS TUBES AND VACUUM PHOTO DIODES MEET
SOME OF THE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA BUT ARE TOO BULKY
AND REQUIRED HIGH VOLTAGES FOR OPERATIONS
 THE INTERNAL PHOTO EMISSION PROCESS MAY TAKE PLACE
IN BOTH INTERINSIC AND EXTRISIC SEMI CONDUCTORS
 IN AN EXTERINSIC ABSORPTION INVOLVES IMPURITY
CENTERS CREATED WITH IN THE MATERIAL
 IN AN INTERINSIC ABSORPTION ,THE RECEIVED PHOTONS
EXCITE ELECTRONS FRO THE VALENCE TO THE CONDUCTION
BANDS IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR.
 OPTICAL DETECTION PRINCIPLES
 OPTICAL DETECTION PRINCIPLES HAVING TWO PHOTO
DETECTION MECHANISMS.
 EXTERNAL PHOTO ELECTRIC EFFECT:IN WHICH ELECTRONS
ARE FREED FROM THE SURFACE OF A METAL BY THE ENERGY
ABSORBED FROM AN INCIDENT STREAM OF PHOTONS.
 EXAMPLES ARE VACUUM PHOTODIODE AND PHOTO
MULTIPLIER.
 INTERNAL PHOTO ELECTRIC EFFECT:IN WHICH FREE CHARGE
CARRIERS ARE GENERATED BY ABSORPTION OF INCOMING
PHOTONS.
 EXAMPLES ARE PN JUNCTION PHOTO DIODE,
PINDIODE,AVALANCHE PHOTODIODE
 THE BASIC DETECTIONPROCESS IN AN INTRINSIC ABSORBER
IS A P-N PHOTODIODE.
 THIS DEVICE IS REVERSE BIASED AND THE ELECTRIC FIELD
DEVELOPED ACROSS THE P-N JUNCTION SWEEPS MOBILE
CARRIERS TO THEIR MAJORITY SIDES.
 A DEPLETION REGION OR LAYER IS THEREFORE CREATED ON
EITHER SIDE OF THE JUNCTION.
 THIS BARRIER HAS THE EFFECT OF STOPING THE MAJORITY
CARRIERS CROSSING THE JUNCTION IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTIONTO THE FIED.
 THE FIELD ACCELERATES MINORITY CARRIES FROM BOTH
SIDES TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE JUNCTION, FORMING
THE REVERSE LEAKAGE CURRENT OF THE DIODE.
 THUS INTRINSIC CONDITIONS ARE CREATED IN THE
DEPLETION REGION.
 THE PHOTON INCIDENT IN OR NEAR THE DEPLETION REGION
OF THIS DEVICE WHICH HAS AN ENERGY GREATER THAN OR
EQUAL TO THE BAND GAP ENERGY Eg OF THE FABRICATING
MATERIAL i.e.hg> Eg will excite on electron from the valence
band into the conduction band.
 THIS PROCESS LEAVES AN EMPTY HOLE IN THE VALENCE
BAND AND IS KNOWN AS THE PHOTO GENERATION OF AN
ELECTRON-HOLE PAIR.
 CARRIER PAIRS SO GENERATED NEAR THE JUNCTION ARE
SEPERATED AND SWEPT UNDER THE INFLENCE OF THE
ELECTRIC FIELD TO PRODUCE A DISPLACEMENT BY CURRENT
IN THE EXTERINAL CIRCUIT IN EXCESS OF ANY REVERS
LEAKAGE CURRENT.
 THE DEPLETION REGION MUST BE SUFFICIENTLY THICK TO
ALLOW A LARGE FRACTION OF THE INCIDENT LIGHT TO BE
ABSORBED IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM CARRIER PAIR
GENERATION.

 SINCE LONG CARRIER DRIFT TIMES IN THE DEPLETION
REGION RESTRICT THE SPEED OF OPERATION OF THE PHOTO
DIODE IT IS NECESSARY TO LIMIT ITS WIDTH.
 THUS THERE IS A TRADE-OFF BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF
PHOTONS ABSORBED AND THE SPEED OF RESPONSE.
PHOTO MULTIPLIER:

 THE VACUUM PHOTO DIODE AND PHOTO MULTIPLIER TUBE

ARE NOT PLACED IN OPERATIONAL FIBER COMMUNICATION
SYSTEM.
 THEY CAN BE USEFUL IN TESTING OF FIBER COMPONENTS .
 THE BIAS VOLTAGE IS APPLIED,MAKING THE ANODE POSITIVE
AND CATHODE NEGATIVE.
 WITH NO LIGHT THE CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE LOAD
RESISTOR IS ZERO AND THE OUTPUT VOLTAGE IS ZERO.
 WHEN THE CATHODE IS IRRADIATED WITH LIGHT INCOMING
PHOTONS ARE ABSORBED,GIVING UP THEIR ENERGIES TO
ELECTRON IN THE METAL.
 SOME OF THESE ELECTRONS GAIN ENOUGH ENERGY TO
ESCAPE FROM THE CATHODE.
 THESE FREE ELECTRONS MOVE TOWARDS THE
ANODE,ATTRACTED BY ITS POSITIVE CHARGE.THEN THE
CURRENT FLOWS THROGH THE CIRCUIT.
 WHEN THE ELECTRONS STRIKE THE ANODE THEY COMINE
WITH THE POSITIVE CHARGES AND THE CIRCUIT CRRENT
STOPS.
 TO LIBERATE A SINGLE ELECTRON FROM THE CATHODE
REQUIRES A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF ENERGY,CALLED THE
WORK FNCTION.
THANHK YOU