Chapter-6 _ Receiver
Chapter-6 _ Receiver
– Rise time, Tr, the time over which the current builds up from 10% to 90% of its final
value when incident power is changed rapidly , or electrons and holes to travel to the
electrical contacts
– It also depends on response time of electrical circuit to process the photocurrent
For indirect band gap material (Si, Ge), W~20-50 μm, BW limited by long τtr > 200 ps
For direct band gap material (InGaAs), W~3-5 μm, BW enhanced by small τtr ~ 10 ps
•The semiconductor material for middle i-layer is different from p-and n-layers, and its band gap is
chosen such that light is absorbed only in the i-layer.
Avalanche Photodiode (APD)
The limitation of p-i-n Photo-diode: The BW of p-i-n PD can be increased by decreasing
W, but R decreases as η decreases. or R can be increased but at the cost of BW
How?
➢ The net result of impact ionization is that a single primary electron, generated through
absorption of a photon, creates many secondary electrons and holes.
Responsivity of APD:
Limiting Factors: