Photodiode Module Research Articles

Reliability study of fiber-coupled photodiode module for operation at 4 K

The reliability of a photodiode module intended for operation at 4K was investigated. Flip-chip bonded photodiodes and an adhesively bonded optical fiber attachment structure were considered. Finite element simulations of the thermomechanical stress were used to evaluate the stresses in different design configurations. Results showed that issues with chip cracking in silicon were eliminated by proper selection of component materials. Photodiode modules survived thermal cycling to 77K and extended operation in 4K.

Real-Time Video Transmission Over Different Underwater Wireless Optical Channels Using a Directly Modulated 520 nm Laser Diode

We experimentally demonstrate high-quality real-time video streaming over an underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) link up to 5 m distance using phase-shift keying (PSK) modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) schemes. The communication system uses software defined platforms connected to a commercial TO-9 packaged pigtailed 520 nm directly modulated laser diode (LD) with 1.2 GHz bandwidth as the optical transmitter and an avalanche photodiode (APD) module as the receiver. To simulate various underwater channels, we perform laboratory experiments on clear, coastal, harbor I, and harbor II ocean water types. The measured bit error rates of the received video streams are 1.0 × 10-9 for QPSK, 4-QAM, and 8-QAM and 9.9 × 10-9 for 8-PSK. We further evaluate the quality of the received live video images using structural similarity and achieve values of about 0.9 for the first three water types, and about 0.7 for harbor II. To the best of our knowledge, these results present the highest quality video streaming ever achieved in UWOC systems that resemble communication channels in real ocean water environments.

Rearrangeable and exchangeable optical module with system-on-chip for wearable functional near-infrared spectroscopy system.

.We developed a system-on-chip (SoC)-incorporated light-emitting diode (LED) and avalanche photodiode (APD) modules to improve the usability and flexibility of a fiberless wearable functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. The SoC has a microprocessing unit and programmable circuits. The time division method and the lock-in method were used for separately detecting signals from different positions and signals of different wavelengths, respectively. Each module autonomously works for this time-divided-lock-in measurement with a high sensitivity for haired regions. By supplying of power and base and data clocks, the LED module emits both 730- and 855-nm wavelengths of light, amplitudes of which are modulated in each lock-in frequency generated from the base clock, and the APD module provides the lock-in detected signals synchronizing with the data clock. The SoC provided many functions, including automatic-power-control of the LED, automatic judgment of detected power level, and automatic-gain-control of the programmable gain amplifier. The number and the arrangement of modules can be adaptively changed by connecting this exchangeable modules in a daisy chain and setting the parameters dependent on the probing position. Therefore, users can configure a variety of arrangements (single- or multidistance combinations) of them with this module-based system.

Development of a Handheld Line Information Reader and Generator for Efficient Management of Optical Communication Lines.

A handheld line information reader and a line information generator were developed for the efficient management of optical communication lines. The line information reader consists of a photo diode, trans-impedance amplifier, voltage amplifier, microcontroller unit, display panel, and communication modules. The line information generator consists of a laser diode, laser driving circuits, microcontroller unit, and communication modules. The line information reader can detect the optical radiation field of the test line by bending the optical fiber. To enhance the sensitivity of the line information reader, an additional lens was used with a focal length of 4.51 mm. Moreover, the simulation results obtained through BeamPROP® software from Synopsys, Inc. demonstrated a stronger optical radiation field of the fiber due to a longer transmission wavelength and larger bending angle of the fiber. Therefore, the developed devices can be considered as useful tools for the efficient management of optical communication lines.

Multi-dimensional spatial light communication made with on-chip InGaN photonic integration

Here, we propose, fabricate and characterize suspended photonic integration of InGaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diode (MQW-LED), waveguide and InGaN MQW-photodetector on a single chip. The unique light emission property of InGaN MQW-LED makes it feasible to establish multi-dimensional spatial data transmission using visible light. The in-plane light communication system is comprised of InGaN MQW-LED, waveguide and InGaN MQW-photodetector, and the out-of-plane data transmission is realized by detecting the free-space light emission via a commercial photodiode module. Moreover, a full-duplex light communication is experimentally demonstrated at a data transmission rate of 50 Mbps when both InGaN MQW-diodes operate under simultaneous light emission and detection mode. The in-plane superimposed signals are able to be extracted through the self-interference cancellation method, and the out-of-plane superimposed signals are in good agreement with the calculated signals according to the extracted transmitted signals. These results are promising for the development of on-chip InGaN photonic integration for diverse applications.

Ambient Light Backscatter Communication for IoT Applications

In this paper, we present an ambient light backscatter communication design that enables Internet of Things (IoT) devices to communicate through the backscattering ambient light emitted from lighting infrastructure or sunlight. The device can selectively modulate ambient light by switching a liquid crystal display (LCD) shutter located on its surface, so that a nearby smart device, which includes a photodiode or a camera, can demodulate this backscattered light information. To verify the practicality of the proposed concept, we design an IoT device equipped with a commercial LCD shutter and a microcontroller. Our device produces ambient light backscattered data at a speed of 100 bps, and these data are successfully decoded by a commercial photodiode module 10 cm away from the IoT device. We believe that our ambient light backscatter communication design is appropriate for implementation in various IoT applications.

2.3 Gbit/s underwater wireless optical communications using directly modulated 520 nm laser diode.

We experimentally demonstrate a record high-speed underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) over 7 m distance using on-off keying non-return-to-zero (OOK-NRZ) modulation scheme. The communication link uses a commercial TO-9 packaged pigtailed 520 nm laser diode (LD) with 1.2 GHz bandwidth as the optical transmitter and an avalanche photodiode (APD) module as the receiver. At 2.3 Gbit/s transmission, the measured bit error rate of the received data is 2.23×10(-4), well below the forward error correction (FEC) threshold of 2×10(-3) required for error-free operation. The high bandwidth of the LD coupled with high sensitivity APD and optimized operating conditions is the key enabling factor in obtaining high bit rate transmission in our proposed system. To the best of our knowledge, this result presents the highest data rate ever achieved in UWOC systems thus far.

Construction of a novel densitometer that utilizes a near-infrared laser system with Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

A novel densitometer consisting of a continuous wave near-infrared (NIR) laser source and an avalanche photodiode module as the detector has been designed, which can rapidly and non-destructively measure the density of wood. The wood density of a small area (3.14 mm2) at the radial-transverse face was continuously estimated using the intensity of the transmitted light with the aid of the modified Lambert-Beer law. By conducting a validity evaluation with statistical coefficients, it was shown that the constructed system could obtain the sharp density profile compatible with X-ray densitometer [Root mean squared error of calibration (RMSEC) = 0.045 g cm−3, Root mean squared error of validation (RMSEV) = 0.046 g cm−3). It was concluded that the constructed NIR device has high performance from the viewpoint of operability, measuring time and safety.

A remote pointing device by using modulated IR signals with a 2-D striped pattern

Handheld pointing devices are increasingly in demand in digital TV market to provide intuitive human-device interfaces (HDIs). HDIs with directional buttons, joysticks, and trackballs are not very intuitive owing to their limited motions. To overcome this problem, cameras, gyroscopes, or ultrasonic sensors have been incorporated into HDIs at the expense of higher power consumption. In this paper, a low-power intuitive pointing device is presented. The transmitter of the proposed device consists of a microcontroller, two infrared light-emitting diodes, and optical components. The receiver comprises a photodiode module and a motion estimation block. The proposed device reduces power consumption by 71.3% and 23.6% as compared with the conventional camera- and gyroscope-based HDIs, respectively. Test results and performance evaluations are presented for validation.

Photonic chirped radio-frequency generator with ultra-fast sweeping rate and ultra-wide sweeping range

A high-performance photonic sweeping-frequency (chirped) radio-frequency (RF) generator has been demonstrated. By use of a novel wavelength sweeping distributed-feedback (DFB) laser, which is operated based on the linewidth enhancement effect, a fixed wavelength narrow-linewidth DFB laser, and a wideband (dc to 50 GHz) photodiode module for the hetero-dyne beating RF signal generation, a very clear chirped RF waveform can be captured by a fast real-time scope. A very-high frequency sweeping rate (10.3 GHz/μs) with an ultra-wide RF frequency sweeping range (~40 GHz) have been demonstrated. The high-repeatability (~97%) in sweeping frequency has been verified by analyzing tens of repetitive chirped waveforms.

Novel Quasi-Hermetic Photodiode Module Featuring an E-Band Rectangular Waveguide (WR-12) Output

A quasi-hermetic photodiode module featuring a WR-12 rectangular waveguide (RW) output has been developed for operation in the E-band. The module makes use of a grounded coplanar-waveguide-to-rectangular-waveguide transition implemented on a Rogers RT/duroid 5880 laminate that does not require any mechanical modifications of the RW. Simulations show that the transition has excellent radio frequency (RF) characteristics (return loss larger than 30 dB, insertion loss smaller than 2 dB, maximum group delay deviation smaller than 1 ps). Measurements confirm the simulated results and highlight the importance of via-holes to reduce the overall loss. The maximum output power delivered by the module, at a DC photocurrent of 10 mA, is -12.5dBm. At 73 GHz, the 1-dB compression point is found to be at a photocurrent of ~ 9mA, with an RF output power of ~ -13.5dBm . The measured output power has less than 1 dB ripple in the frequency range of interest.

Synchronization of high speed framing camera and intense electron-beam accelerator

A new trigger program is proposed to realize the synchronization of high speed framing camera (HSFC) and intense electron-beam accelerator (IEBA). The trigger program which include light signal acquisition radiated from main switch of IEBA and signal processing circuit could provide a trigger signal with rise time of 17 ns and amplitude of about 5 V. First, the light signal was collected by an avalanche photodiode (APD) module, and the delay time between the output voltage of APD and load voltage of IEBA was tested, it was about 35 ns. Subsequently, the output voltage of APD was processed further by the signal processing circuit to obtain the trigger signal. At last, by combining the trigger program with an IEBA, the trigger program operated stably, and a delay time of 30 ns between the trigger signal of HSFC and output voltage of IEBA was obtained. Meanwhile, when surface flashover occurred at the high density polyethylene sample, the delay time between the trigger signal of HSFC and flashover current was up to 150 ns, which satisfied the need of synchronization of HSFC and IEBA. So the experiment results proved that the trigger program could compensate the time (called compensated time) of the trigger signal processing time and the inherent delay time of the HSFC.

An economical fluorescence detector for lab-on-a-chip devices with a light emitting photodiode and a low-cost avalanche photodiode

An economical fluorescence detector was developed with an LED as the exciting source and a low-cost avalanche photodiode (APD) module as a photon sensor. The detector was arranged in an epifluorescence configuration using a microscope objective (20× or 40×) and a dichroic mirror. The low-cost APD was biased by a direct current (DC) high voltage power supply at 121 V, which is much lower than that normally used for a PMT. Both DC and square wave (SW) supplies were used to power the LED and different data treatment protocols, such as simple average for DC mode, software based lock-in amplification and time specific average for SW mode, were tested to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. Using an LED at a DC mode with simple data averaging, a limit of detection of 0.2 nmol L(-1) for sodium fluorescein was attained, which is among the lowest ever achieved with an LED as an excitation source. The detector was successfully used in both capillary and chip electrophoresis. The most significant advantages of the detector are the compact size and low cost of its parts. The aim of the work is to prove that widely available, low-cost components for civilian use can be successfully used for miniaturized analytical devices.

Mie lidar observations of lower tropospheric aerosols and clouds

Mie lidar system is developed at Laser Science and Technology Centre, Delhi (28.38°N, 77.12°E) by using minimal number of commercially available off-the-shelf components. Neodymium Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser operating at 1064 nm with variable pulse energies between 25 and 400 mJ with 10 Hz repetition rate and 7 ns pulse duration is used as a transmitter and off-axis CASSEGRAIN telescope with 100 mm diameter as a receiver. Silicon avalanche photodiode (Si-APD) module with built-in preamplifier and front-end optics is used as detector. This system has been developed for the studies of lower tropospheric aerosols and clouds. Some experiments have been conducted using this set up and preliminary results are discussed. The characteristics of backscattered signals for various transmitter pulse energies are also studied. Atmospheric aerosol extinction coefficient values are calculated using Klett lidar inversion algorithm. The extinction coefficient, in general, falls with range in the lower troposphere and the values lie typically in the range 7.5 × 10 −5 m −1 to 1.12 × 10 −4 m −1 in the absence of any cloud whereas this value shoots maximum up to 1.267 × 10 −3 m −1 (peak extinction) in the presence of clouds.

Design and development of detector signal conditioning electronics for SST-1 Thomson scattering system

An IR enhanced thermoelectrically cooled Si-avalanche photodiode (Si-APD) module is used for detection of scattered photons from plasma electrons. Present design of signal conditioning electronics for the APD has fast (50 MHz) and slow (500 kHz) channels to measure scattered and plasma background light, respectively. We report design analysis for different stages and their performance. The performance of fast channel is analyzed for two different group delays, speed, linearity, and its cross-talk with slow channel. Temperature dependence of APD's responsivity is studied in the wavelength range of 900-1060 nm. A minimum detection of approximately 25 photoelectrons (with SN=1) in the range of 5 to 25 degrees C is achieved at an APD gain of 75 in the present design.

High‐frequency characterization of packaging network in TO‐CAN photodiode modules

AbstractA simple method for analyzing the effects of TO packaging network on the high‐frequency response of photodiode modules is presented. This method is established based on the relations of the scattering parameters of the packaging network, photodiode chip, and module. It is shown that the results obtained by this method agree well with those obtained by the conventional comparison method. The proposed method is much more convenient since only the electrical domain measurements are required. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 1219–1223, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23356

10 Gbit/s operation of uni-travelling-carrier photodiode module at 2.6 K

High bit rate operations of a uni-travelling-carrier photodiode module at cryogenic temperatures are investigated to demonstrate its feasibility as an optical-to-electrical signal interface for cryogenic electronics. The responsivity is almost constant at temperatures from 2.6 to 293 K, and the module operates at bit rates of up to 10 Gbit/s at 2.6 K.

Multibeam Optical System and Neural Processing for Turbidity Measurement

This paper presents a turbidity measuring system based on a modulated four infrared (IR) light beam architecture with advanced data processing. The turbidity sensing component consists of a pair of IR light-emitting diodes (LEDs) connected to a current drive controlled through the pulsewidth modulated (PWM) outputs of a multifunction input/output board. The scattered and transmitted IR light in the media under test is detected by a two-channel IR photodiode module that includes a set of transimpedance and programmable gain amplifier. The voltages proportional to the detectors' output currents, are acquired using a 12-bit ADC included in a microcontroller and RS232 transmitted to a laptop personal computer (PC) that works as an advanced control and processing unit. Using optimal neural network processing architectures, an accurate extraction of the turbidity information is performed. A practical approach concerning the neural network architectures [multilayer perceptron single-input-single-output (SISO), multiple-input-single-output (MISO)] including neural network training and testing is discussed in the paper. The multi-input architectures prove to be a robust and general solution for the proposed application. Results from a turbidity measuring system that was designed for automated standalone remote operation with sensing channel autocalibration capabilities are presented

Hybrid integration of waveguide photodiode and preamplifier IC using Au stud bump

The authors developed an InP photodiode (PD) module integrated with an InP HBT preamplifier IC by using an Au stud bump. Theoretical analysis shows that the deviation of the group delay linearly increases in the inductance between the PD and IC. The flip-chip bonding based on the Au stud bump effectively reduces the inductance without sacrificing the individual device performance and reliability. Experimental results show that this technique is suitable for the receiver modules designed for applications with a bandwidth greater than 40 Gb/s

Photonic millimetre- and sub-millimetre-wave generation using J-band rectangular-waveguide-output uni-travelling-carrier photodiode module

A compact uni-travelling-carrier photodiode module with a rectangular-waveguide output port for operation in the J-band (220-325 GHz) has been developed. The fabricated module exhibits an output power as high as 134 muW at 264 GHz for a photocurrent of 26 mA. Fundamental mode signal generation by a photodiode module at frequencies in the sub-millimetre-wave range (>300 GHz) is demonstrated for the first time