Gateva S. (Ed.) Photodetectors

InTech, 2012. — 467 p. — ISBN: 978-953-51-0358-5.Photodetectors are devices which sense light or electromagnetic energy and convert it into a response, usually electrical. As part of photonics systems, they are developing very fast with photonics applications, e.g. photosensors, telecommunications, information processing, metrology, spectroscopy, medicine, military technology, laser material processing, biophotonics, agriculture, robotics.
There are different types of photodetectors: optical and chemical detectors, photoresistors, photodiodes, thermocouples, phototubes, solar cells, etc. The choice of a particular detector depends on the requirements of a specific application – e.g. the wavelength of the light, the sensitivity, the speed of response. The variety of photodetectors is so wide, that it is impossible for a single book to cover the state-of–art, the latest developments and the new trends in the field including the theoretical aspects, design and simulation, experimental results, and applications of all photodetectors.
In this book some recent advances in photodetectors and photodetection systems for specific applications are examined. The book is divided into three sections.
Section 1 includes nine chapters where recent developments on different photodetectors and their characteristics are described. In Section 2 a theoretical model and some simulations are presented. In Section 3 eight examples of photodetection systems for different applications are given: imaging, particle size analysis, transfers of time, and measurement of vibrations, magnetic field, polarization of light, and particle energy.
The book is addressed to students, engineers, and researchers working in the field of photonics and advanced technologies.