chapter 1.6, Optical Detectors and Human Vision

from: Fundamentals of Photonics

Author(s): Chandrasekhar Roychoudhuri

Author(s): Jack Ready

Published: 23 May 2008

Chapter DOI: 10.1117/3.784938.ch6

Chapter Page Count: 38 pages

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1.1. Nature and Properties of Light

1.2. Light Sources and Laser Safety

1.3. Basic Geometrical Optics

1.4. Basic Physical Optics

1.5. Lasers

1.6. Optical Detectors and Human Vision

1.7. Optical Waveguides and Fibers

1.8. Fiber Optic Telecommunication

1.9. Photonic Devices for Imaging, Display, and Storage

1.10. Basic Principles and Applications of Holography

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In this module, we describe some common optical detectors and their important characteristics. We do not cover the entire field of light detection, which is very broad. Instead, we emphasize those detectors that are most commonly encountered in photonics applications. The two main types of optical detectors are photon detectors and thermal detectors. Photon detectors produce one electron for each incoming photon of optical energy. The electron is then detected by the electronic circuitry. Thermal detectors convert the optical energy to heat energy, which then generates an electrical signal. Our coverage focuses on these two main types of detectors.

DOI: 10.1117/3.784938.ch6