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Pigtailed Photodiodes![]()
Photodiode FDSP Pigtailed SM or MM Fiber A Pigtailed Photodiode Soldered to the Circuit Board Inside Application Idea ![]() Please Wait
Features
Thorlabs' Pigtailed Photodiodes are high-speed, fiber pigtailed, Si PIN photodiodes designed for light detection in the visible to near infrared range. These photodiodes are particularly suitable for measurement of pulsed or CW fiber-coupled light sources by converting the optical power into an electric current. They provide low dark current and terminal capacitance with increased bias voltabe making them ideal for use in optical communications, high-speed photometry, and monitoring applications. ![]() Click to Enlarge A Pigtailed Photodiode terminated with an SM FC/PC connector. Custom termination of the fiber end of our pigtailed photodiodes is available upon request. The FDSP Series Pigtailed Photodiodes are offered with a single or multimode fiber, actively aligned for optimum coupling efficiency, sensitivity, and stability. The FDSP625 uses a graded-index multimode fiber suitable for use with wavelengths between 320 and 1000 nm. FDSP660 and FDSP780 use single mode fibers, which suppress mode interferences (also called MPI - multi path interference), an essential property for signal detection in fiber-based interferometers. They are designed for low back reflection and are specified for use at 610 - 770 nm and 780 - 970 nm, respectively. Please see the info icons below for a detailed list of fiber and detector properties. The housing is a stainless steel bushing used for active coupling of the fiber to the photodiode. The fiber is reinforced with a Ø900 µm loose tube outer jacket and a rubber boot, which relieves fiber bending stresses. Custom Connectorization ![]() Click to Enlarge Figure 1. Overview of the Photodiode's Response Curve, Highlighting the Saturation Limit and the Noise Floor Thorlabs Lab Fact: Photodiode Saturation Limit and Noise FloorWe present laboratory measurements of the saturation limit and noise floor of a Thorlabs silicon photodiode. While all photodiodes function similarly, there are a number of parameters that affect the noise floor and saturation limit of a photodiode including the sensor temperature, resistivity, reverse bias voltage, responsivity, and system bandwidth. Here we investigated the effect of reverse bias voltage and load resistance within a silicon-based photodiode detection system. Increasing the reverse bias increased the saturation limit and had minimal effect on the noise floor. Decreasing the load resistance decreased the noise floor until reaching the noise of the measurement system, but also decreased the saturation limit. These results demonstrate some of the considerations necessary for choosing the reverse bias voltage and load resistance, and emphasize that noise sources within all of the components must be considered when creating a detection system. For our experiment we used the FDS100 Si Photodiode as the photodiode under investigation. The collimated output of a fiber-pigtailed laser diode was used as the light source with output power from 0 to 50 mW. The collimated beam was incident upon a beamsplitter that transmitted the majority of the light to the photodiode under investigation and reflected the rest towards a reference power sensor. The photodiode response was then evaluated under various resistive loads and with different reverse bias voltages. The plots to the right and below summarize the measured results for the various tested configurations. From these graphs the changes to the photodiode's linear response, noise floor, and saturation limit can be observed under different reverse voltage biases and load resistances. Figure 1 provides an overview of the photodiode response with a reverse voltage bias of 5 V and resistive load of 10 kΩ. The photodiode saturated at the upper limit of the response when the output photovoltage approached the reverse bias voltage. The noise floor at the lower limit of the response was a result of dark current and the thermal noise from the resistive load (Johnson noise). Figure 2 summarizes the results obtained using the photodiode with a 1 kΩ resistive load and various reverse bias voltages. It illustrates that the saturation limit can be raised by increasing the reverse bias voltage (within specification). Figure 3 summarizes the results from using the photodiode with a 5 V reverse bias voltage and various resistive loads. It illustrates that the slope of the photovoltage response increased as the load resistance was increased. Figure 4 summarizes the noise floor results obtained using a 0 V reverse bias voltage and various resistive loads. The noise floor increased when larger load resistances were used. It is important to note that the 1 kΩ data was measured above the theoretical Johnson noise due to the voltage noise within the measurement system. Minimal change in the overall noise floor was seen when using a 5 V reverse bias voltage. For details on the experimental setup employed and these summarized results, please click here. ![]() Click to Enlarge Figure 2. Photovoltage Dependence on Reverse Bias Voltage ![]() Click to Enlarge Figure 4. Noise Floor with Various Resistive Loads ![]() Click to Enlarge Figure 3. Response with Various Resistive Loads Photodiode TutorialTheory of OperationA junction photodiode is an intrinsic device that behaves similarly to an ordinary signal diode, but it generates a photocurrent when light is absorbed in the depleted region of the junction semiconductor. A photodiode is a fast, highly linear device that exhibits high quantum efficiency based upon the application and may be used in a variety of different applications. It is necessary to be able to correctly determine the level of the output current to expect and the responsivity based upon the incident light. Depicted in Figure 1 is a junction photodiode model with basic discrete components to help visualize the main characteristics and gain a better understanding of the operation of Thorlabs' photodiodes.
Photodiode TerminologyResponsivity Modes of Operation (Photoconductive vs. Photovoltaic) Photoconductive Photovoltaic Dark Current The dark current present is also affected by the photodiode material and the size of the active area. Silicon devices generally produce low dark current compared to germanium devices which have high dark currents. The table below lists several photodiode materials and their relative dark currents, speeds, sensitivity, and costs.
Junction Capacitance Bandwidth and Response Noise Equivalent Power Here, S/N is the Signal to Noise Ratio, Δf is the Noise Bandwidth, and Incident Energy has units of W/cm2. For more information on NEP, please see Thorlabs' Noise Equivalent Power White Paper. Terminating Resistance Depending on the type of the photodiode, load resistance can affect the response speed. For maximum bandwidth, we recommend using a 50 Ω coaxial cable with a 50 Ω terminating resistor at the opposite end of the cable. This will minimize ringing by matching the cable with its characteristic impedance. If bandwidth is not important, you may increase the amount of voltage for a given light level by increasing RLOAD. In an unmatched termination, the length of the coaxial cable can have a profound impact on the response, so it is recommended to keep the cable as short as possible. Shunt Resistance Series Resistance Common Operating Circuits
The DET series detectors are modeled with the circuit depicted above. The detector is reverse biased to produce a linear response to the applied input light. The amount of photocurrent generated is based upon the incident light and wavelength and can be viewed on an oscilloscope by attaching a load resistance on the output. The function of the RC filter is to filter any high-frequency noise from the input supply that may contribute to a noisy output.
One can also use a photodetector with an amplifier for the purpose of achieving high gain. The user can choose whether to operate in Photovoltaic of Photoconductive modes. There are a few benefits of choosing this active circuit:
where GBP is the amplifier gain bandwidth product and CD is the sum of the junction capacitance and amplifier capacitance. Effects of Chopping FrequencyThe photoconductor signal will remain constant up to the time constant response limit. Many detectors, including PbS, PbSe, HgCdTe (MCT), and InAsSb, have a typical 1/f noise spectrum (i.e., the noise decreases as chopping frequency increases), which has a profound impact on the time constant at lower frequencies. The detector will exhibit lower responsivity at lower chopping frequencies. Frequency response and detectivity are maximized for Pulsed Laser Emission: Power and Energy CalculationsDetermining whether emission from a pulsed laser is compatible with a device or application can require referencing parameters that are not supplied by the laser's manufacturer. When this is the case, the necessary parameters can typically be calculated from the available information. Calculating peak pulse power, average power, pulse energy, and related parameters can be necessary to achieve desired outcomes including:
Pulsed laser radiation parameters are illustrated in Figure 1 and described in the table. For quick reference, a list of equations are provided below. The document available for download provides this information, as well as an introduction to pulsed laser emission, an overview of relationships among the different parameters, and guidance for applying the calculations.
![]() Click to Enlarge Figure 1: Parameters used to describe pulsed laser emission are indicated in the plot (above) and described in the table (below). Pulse energy (E) is the shaded area under the pulse curve. Pulse energy is, equivalently, the area of the diagonally hashed region.
Example Calculation: Is it safe to use a detector with a specified maximum peak optical input power of 75 mW to measure the following pulsed laser emission?
The energy per pulse: seems low, but the peak pulse power is: It is not safe to use the detector to measure this pulsed laser emission, since the peak power of the pulses is >5 orders of magnitude higher than the detector's maximum peak optical input power.
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