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handbook of modern sensors

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410 14 Light Detectors<br />

Fig. 14.2. Spectral response <strong>of</strong> an infrared photodiode.<br />

used to reshape and shift a spectral response <strong>of</strong> the material. All devices that directly<br />

convert photons <strong>of</strong> electromagnetic radiation into charge carriers are called quantum<br />

detectors and are generally produced in a form <strong>of</strong> photodiodes, phototransistors, and<br />

photoresistors.<br />

When comparing the characteristics <strong>of</strong> different photodetectors, the following<br />

specifications usually should be considered:<br />

NEP (noise-equivalent power) is the amount <strong>of</strong> light equivalent to the intrinsic noise<br />

level <strong>of</strong> the detector. Stated differently, it is the light level required to obtain a<br />

signal-to-noise ratio equal to unity. Because the noise level is proportional to the<br />

square root <strong>of</strong> the bandwidth, the NEP is expressed in units <strong>of</strong> W/ √ Hz:<br />

NEP =<br />

noise current (A/ √ HZ)<br />

Radiant sensitivity at λ p (A/W) . (14.4)<br />

D ∗ refers to the detectivity <strong>of</strong> a detector’s sensitive area <strong>of</strong> 1 cm 2 and a noise<br />

bandwidth <strong>of</strong> 1 Hz:<br />

√<br />

Area(cm<br />

D ∗ =<br />

2 )<br />

. (14.5)<br />

NEP<br />

Detectivity is another way <strong>of</strong> measuring the sensor’s signal-to-noise ratio. Detectivity<br />

is not uniform over the spectral range for operating frequencies; therefore,<br />

the chopping frequency and the spectral content must be also specified. The detectivity<br />

is expressed in units <strong>of</strong> cm √ Hz/W. It can be said that the higher the<br />

value <strong>of</strong> D*, the better the detector.<br />

IR cut<strong>of</strong>f wavelength (λ c ) represents the long-wavelength limit <strong>of</strong> the spectral response<br />

and <strong>of</strong>ten is listed as the wavelength at which the detectivity drops by<br />

10% <strong>of</strong> the peak value.<br />

Maximum current is specified for photoconductive detectors (such as HgCdTe)<br />

which operate at constant currents. The operating current never should exceed<br />

the maximum limit.

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