A photodetector is an optoelectronic device that absorbs optical

energy and converts it to electrical energy, which usually manifests as a

photocurrent.
Photodetectors are widely used in optical communication systems. In
this application, detectors receive the transmitted optical pulses and
convert them, with as little loss as possible, into electronic pulses that
can be used by a telephone, a computer, or other terminal at the
receiving end.
The performance requirements from the detector are high sensitivity,
low noise, wide bandwidth, high reliability, and low cost.
Photodetectors - Introduction (Ch. 8)
Light emitter
(LED or Laser)
Photodetector
Optical link
(fiber or open air)
Mechanisms of light detection
Main types of photodetectors
The three main types of detectors are
1. Photoconductors,
2. J unction photodetectors (Schottky diodes, PIN diodes,
MSM diodes)
and
3. Avalanche photodiodes.
The first and the third types have internal gain.
J unction photodetectors have no internal gain but they are
very fast (have very large bandwidths).
Internal quantum efficiency of the photodetector
The number of photons absorbed by semiconductor per second per unit volume:
R
abs
= P
inc
/ h/V
v
. (absorption rate)
This photon flux creates a certain e-h pair generation rate: G.
The internal quantum efficiency is the ratio of generation rate to the photon
absorption rate:
P
inc
is the total power absorbed in the sample;
V
v
is the volume of the semiconductor sample;
P
inc1
is the absorbed power density (cm
-3
)
1
v
i
abs inc inc
GV
G G
R P P
= = =
External quantum efficiency of photodetectors
The external quantum efficiency is the number of
carriers (electron-hole pairs) per second collected to
produce the photocurrent I
ph
divided by the number of
incident photons per second.
Here P
inc
is the incident optical power.
inc
ph
P
I q
h

=
The photocurrent can be related to the incident optical power as
The responsivity R of photodetectors
(compare to the responsivity of the LEDs)
inc
ph
P
I q
h

=
In this case,
Absorption coefficient and quantum efficiency
Some light can be transmitted through the slab,
after partial absorption in the material:
and the quantum efficiency (external) is
Primary Photocurrent
The primary photocurrent is the current passing through the photodetector (of
any type) when ALL the photo-generated carriers are separated in the electric
field and are swept out without replenishment.
Assuming the generation rate Gis uniform throughout the detector, the total
number of e-h pairs generated per second N
e-h
= GV
V
,
where V
v
is the
volume of the semiconductor sample.
The primary photocurrent is
0 ph V
I qGV =
If the generation rate is not uniform,
0
0
L
ph
I qS G x dx ( ) =

where L is the length and S is
the cross-section area of the
sample
Photocurrent and Gain
Actual device photocurrent may be greater or smaller than the
primary photocurrent. It depends on what happens to the photo-
generated e-hpairs before they reach the photodetector contacts.
If all the carriers are swept out before recombining and if there is no
replenishment by re-injection, the photocurrent is equal to the
primary current:
To account for various mechanisms increasing or decreasing the
actual photocurrent there is an addition factor called gain:
;
G l ph
V G q I =
0 ph ph V
I I qGV = =
inc
ph G
P
I q
h

=
or,
Photoconductors
Under the illumination, the
concentration of electron and hole
pairs consists of the equilibrium
(dark) concentration and that of the
photoexcitedcarriers:
n = n
0
+ n
ph
; p = p
0
+ p
ph
;
Correspondingly, the current has
two components:
I = I
D
+ I
ph
I
D
the dark current; I
Ph
the photo current
The current through the sample is
Gain in photoconductors
1) The voltage applied to the sample is very small.
Carriers can recombine BEFORE they reach the contact; in this case
Since generally
e
>>
h
,
inc
ph
e
tr
P
I q
h
t

=
is the electron and hole
life time
The electron transit time,
2) When the voltage V is made larger:
Electrons travel faster than holes, therefore the situation may be describedby the conditions
In this case, the Gain,
3) The bias voltage V is very large,

G
=1
=

L
Time response of the photoconductor (AC behavior)
The time dependent electron concentration,
Light ON Light OFF
P
h
o
t
o
c
u
r
r
e
n
t

ph

ph
depends on the
photoconductor mode of
operation and on the gain.
Low voltage:
ph
=
High voltage:
ph
= transit time
Moderate voltage:
ph
= G t
tr
e
The cut-off frequency and AC gain of photoconductor
The gain (at low frequencies):
However, the gain decreases with the frequency f.
The gain-bandwidth product of the photoconductor is
defined as