Zagazig University

Faculty of Engineering
Electronics and Communication Department

Graduation Project 2022-2023

Exploring Available 10 Gbps Photodetectors and Their

Specifications
Student Name
Eman Mohammed Abdel Mohsen Ahmed

Supervisor: Dr. Ahmed Wahba & Dr. Ahmed Reda

01
Selection guide

1. What is my operating wavelength?

2. How fast my detector should be?

3. What spot size do I expect to have?

4. How sensitive my detector has to be?

02
Model name:APD410x

The Thorlabs APD410x series of temperature-compensated

Avalanche Photodetectors combine a high sensitivity Si or

In GaAs Avalanche Photodiode with a specially designed

ultra-low noise transimpedance amplifier for detection of

optical signals from DC to 10 MHz

03
Getting Started 1/8

Adjust the power supply to accommodate your local

mains voltage (100 VAC, 120 VAC or 230 VAC).

Connect OUTPUT to your data acquisition device with a

coaxial cable. Please note that a 50 W impedance device
should be used for best RF performance.

04
Optical Input 2/8

• The APD410C uses an InGaAs Avalanche Photodiode with a detector active area
diameter of 0.2 mm, operating from 900 to 1700 nm nm.
• The APD410A uses a Silicon Avalanche Photodiode with a detector active area
diameter of 1 mm, operating from 400 to 1000 nm.
• The APD410A2 uses an UV-enhanced Silicon Avalanche Photodiode with a detector
active area diameter of 0.5 mm, operating from 200 to 1000 nm

05
Optical Input 2/8
0.2 mm Active Area Diameter: 1 mm Active Area Diameter:

Pros: Pros:
• Higher sensitivity: Wider coverage

• Better for point-like sources Lower sensitivity threshold

Cons: Cons:
• Limited coverage • Lower spatial resolution

06
Detector Responsivity Curves 3/8

Typical Detector Responsivity APD410A2; M = 50 Typical Detector Responsivity APD410C; M = 20

07
Fiber coupled applications 4/8

For detectors with an active area smaller than 1 mm, the beam divergence out
of the fiber needs to be compensated by using a collimator and a focusing lens.

Focus the Optical Signal: This means that you adjust the position and
alignment of the optical components in the system (like lenses or mirrors) to
ensure that the light emerging from the optical fiber is concentrated and
directed accurately onto the active area of the detector.

Why Focus? Focusing is important because it ensures that the maximum

amount of light is collected by the detector,

08
Technical Data 5/8
Parameters APD410A APD410A2 APD410C
Detector Material Silicon APD UV-enhanced Silicon InGaAs

Wavelength Range 400 to 1000 nm 200 to 1000 nm 900 to 1700 nm

Maximum APD 53 A/W @ 800 nm 25 A/W @ 600 nm 18 A/W @ 1550 nm M=20

Responsivity M = 100 M = 50 M
Detector Active Area 1.0 mm 0.5 mm 0.2 mm
Diameter
Transimpedance Gain 500 kV/A 250 kV/A with same same
50 𝛺 termination
OUTPUT Bandwidth (3 DC to 10 MHz Same same
dB) 2 )
CW Saturation Power 0.15 µW @ 800 nm (M = 3.2 µW @ 600 nm (M = 5) 0.45 µW @ 1550 nm (M =
100) 0.32 µW @ 600 nm (M = 20)
1.5 µW @ 800 nm (M = 50) 2.25 µW @ 1550 nm (M =
10) 4)
09
Noise 6/8
The Noise Equivalent Power (NEP) tells you how sensitive your device is to weak
signals. The smaller the NEP, the better your device is at hearing those tiny sounds or seeing
those faint signals.

For a noise optimized measurement:

• Select a detector with a high responsivity at the wavelength of interest. The responsivity
directly affects the resulting NEP value.

10
Output Frequency Response 7/8

For this measurement a test signal,

generated by an optical transmitter,

was fiber-coupled to the APD. The

OUTPUT frequency response was

measured using a optical network

analyzer.

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8/8

12
Performance parameter

13
Thanks!

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