IR Transmitter and Reciever pair

INFRARED LED'S:-

Gallium arsenide is a direct-gap semiconductor with an energy

gap of 1.4eV at room temperature. A typical GaPs LED is made by
solid-state impurity diffusion with zinc as the p-type impurity diffused
into an n-type substate doped with tin, tellurium or silicon. The
external efficiency at room temperature is typically 5 percent.

A GaAs diode can also be fabricated by liquid-phase epitaxy with

silicon as both its n and p dopants. If a silicon atom replaces a Ga
atom, it provides one additional electron, thus the resulting GaAs in as
n-type. If a silicon atom replaces arsenic atoms, an electron is missing
and the resulting GaAs is a p-type. In Si doped GaAs diode, the
emission peak shifts down to 1.32eV. Since the emission is in infrared
region, GaAs light sources are suitable for application such as the
optical isolator. The high switching speed, with a recovery time
between 2 and 10ns, makes them ideal for data transmission.

The disadvantages of the GaAs emitter are emitted wavelength

and the associated attenuation an dispersion. A critical issue of using
an LED for the fibre optics is the coupling of light from the
semiconductor to the fibre. Because of the larger refractive index of
GaAs relative to air, the internal efficiency of LED can be quite low.

T-1 3/4(5mm) INFRA-RED EMITTING DIODES

L-53F3C L-53SF4C
L-53F3BT L-53SF4BT

Features
MECHANICALLY AND SPECTRALLY MATCHED TO THE L-
51P3C PHOTOTRANSISTOR.

BOTH WATER CLEAR LENS AND BLUE TRANSPARENT LENS

 AVAILABLE HIGH POWER OUTPUT.

Description

F3 Made with Gallium Arsenide Infrared Emitting diodes. SF4

Made with Gallium Aluminum Arsenide Emitting diodes.
 PHOTO-DIODES
If a conventional silicon diode is connected in the reverse-biased
circuit of fig. 1, negligible current will flow through the diode and
zero voltage will develop across R . If the diode casing is now
1

carefully removed so that the diode's semiconductor junction is

revealed, and the junction is them exposed to visible light in the
same circuit, the diode current will rise, possibly to as

Fig. 1 Reverse-baised diode circuit.

high as 1 mA, producing a significant output across R . Further

1

investigation will show that the diode current (and thus the output
voltage) is directly proportional to light intensity, and that the diode
is therefore photosensitive.

In practice, all silicon junctions are photosensitive, and a

photodiode can be regarded as a conventional diode housed in a
case that lets external light reach its photosensitive semiconductor
junction. Fig. 2 shows the standard photodiode symbol. In use, the
photodiode is reverse biased and the output voltage is taken from
across a series-connected load resistor. This resistor may be
connected between the diode and ground, as in fig. 1, or between
the diode and the positive supply line, as in fig. 3

Photodiode symbol

Fig. 2 Photodiode symbol

The human eye is sensitive to a range of light radiation, as

shown in fig. 4. It has a peak spectral response to the colour
green, which has a wave length of about 550 nm, but has a
relatively low sensitivity to the colour violet (400 nm) at one
end of the spectrum and to dark red (700 nm) at the other.
Photodiodes also have spectral response characteristics, and
these are determined by the chemistry used in the
semiconductor junction material. Fig. 4 shows typical response
curves of a general-purpose photodiode, and infrared (IR)
photodiode.

Photodiodes have a far lower light-sensitivity than cadmium-

sulphide LDRs, but give a far quicker response to changes in
light level. Generally, LDRs are ideal for use in slow-acting
direct-coupled light-level sensing applications, while
photodiodes are ideal for use in fast-acting AC-coupled
signalling applications. Typical photodiode applications include
IR remote-control circuits, IR beam switches and alarm circuits,
and photographic flash slave circuits, etc.
 Fig 3 Photodiode circuit with D1-to-V + load

Fig. 4 Typical spectral response curves of (a) the human eye, (b) a
general-purpose photodiode, and (c) an infra-red photodiode.
 PHOTOTRANSISTORS
Fig. 5 shows the standard symbol of a phototransistor, which
can be regarded as a conventional transistor housed in a case
that enables its semiconductor junctions to be exposed to
external light. The device is normally used with its base open
circuit, in either of the configurations shown in fig. 6, and
functions as follows.

Fig. 5 Phototransistor symbol.

In fig. 6(a), the base-collector junction of the transistor is

effectively reverse biased and thus acts as a photodiode. The
photo-generated currents of the base-collector junction feed
directly into the base of the device, and the normal current-
amplifying transistor action causes the output current to
appear (in greatly amplified form) as collector current, and in
fig. 6(a) R1 causes this current to generate an output voltage as
shown.

In practice, the collector and emitter current of the transistor

are virtually identical and, since the base is open circuit, the
device is not subjected to significant negative feedback.
Consequently, the alternative fig. 6(b) circuit, in which R 1 is
connected to Q1 emitter, gives a virtually identical performance
to that of fig. 6(a).

Fig. 6 Alternative phototransistor configuration.

The sensitivity of a phototransistor is typically one hundred

times greater than that of a photodiode, but is useful
maximum operating frequency (a few hundred kilohertz) is
proportionally lower than that of a photodiode by using only
its base and collector terminals and ignoring the emitter, as
shown in fig. 7.
Fig. 7 Phototransistor used as a photodiode