By:

ANUJ DEV (0176EC071007)

Guided by
Prof. Akhilesh Singh Thakur

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

GYAN GANGA
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY &
MANAGEMENT
BHOPAL
2010-2011
 Convert light signals to a voltage or current.
 First element of Receiver is a Photo detector.
 Senses the luminescent power & convert into electric
current.
 Detectors can be simply built from just using a p or n
doped semiconductor.
 Semiconductor band gaps are in the energy range of a
photon.
 Conductivity change due to e-h pair generation
 Quantum efficiency should be high for
appropriate spectrum region.
 Signal dependent noise should low.
 Low cost
 Sensitivity of Operating wavelength should
be very high.
 Reliable.
 Purpose:
 to convert received optical signal into an
electrical signal which is then amplified for
further processing
 hence its performance and compatibility in a
communication system is highly essential
 Requirements:
 high sensitivity at the operating wavelengths
 large electrical response to the received optical
signal
 small size
 low cost
 high reliability
 Attributes: high speed and internal gain
 Good for communications
 A thin n  side layer is exposed through a window to achieve
illumination.
 3 p –type layers follow this and terminate at the electrode.
 These p-type layers have different doping levels in order to
modify the field distribution across the diode.
 1st p-type region is a thin layer
 
2nd p-type region is a thick, lightly dope layer. (almost
intrinsic)
 3rd p-type region is heavily doped p  layer.
 The diode operates in the reverse bias mode in
order to increase the field in the depletion
regions.
 Applying an adequate R.B. will force the
depletion region in the p-layer to reach-through
to  layer.
 The field ultimately extends from n  -side
depletion layer to the p - side depletion layer.
 Absorption of photons and therefore
photogeneration takes place in the long  layer.
 It is a uniform field in the  layer due to the
small net space charge density.
Factors determining speed:
1. Time it takes for photogenerated electron to
cross the absorption region ( layer) to the
multiplication layer (p layer).
2. Time it takes for the avalanche process to
build-up in the p-region and generate EHPs.
3. Time it takes for the last hole released in the
avalanche process to vacate the  region.
 These EHPs can be accelerated by high fields to
high kinetic energies to cause further impact
ionization releasing even more EHPs leading to
an avalanche of impact-ionization process.
 APDs have a advantage over photodiode
without internal gain for the detection of the
very low lights often encountered in optical
fiber communication.
 APDs generally provide an increase in
sensitivity of b/w 5 to 15 dB over pin
photodiode while often giving a wider
dynamic range as a result of their gain
variation with response time and reverse
bias.
 APDs having fabrication difficulties due to
their more complex structure and hence
increased cost whereas PIN has easy to
fabrication.

 APDs often have high bias voltage required

(50 to 400 V)which are wavelength
dependent whereas PIN photodiode compare
low bias voltage.
 Gerd Keiser, Optical Fiber Communications:
Fourth edition, Tata McGraw-Hill,2009,
Page No. 222-231.

 Internet.