John Cloyd Mission ENEC4A

Optoelectronic Devices and Sensors

a. LED/LCD
Characteristics: LED-Before a light emitting diode can “emit” any form of light it needs a
current to flow through it, as it is a current dependent device with their light output intensity
being directly proportional to the forward current flowing through the LED.

Applications: lighting for electronic and automotive industries

Characteristics: LCD-Each pixel of an LCD typically consists of a layer of molecules aligned

between two transparent electrodes, and two polarizing filters (parallel and perpendicular), the
axes of transmission of which are (in most of the cases) perpendicular to each other
Applications: display screen for electronic devices
b. Photodiode
Characteristics: A photodiode continually operates in a reverse bias mode. The
characteristics of the photodiode are shown clearly in the following figure that the
photocurrent is nearly independent of reverse bias voltage which is applied. For zero
luminance, the photocurrent is almost zero excluding for small dark current.
Applications: used in solar panels, detection circuits, optical communication systems
c. Phototransistor
Characteristics: are used extensively to detect light pulses and convert them into digital
electrical signals.
Applications: Opto-isolators, Position sensing, Security systems,Coin counters
d. Photoconductive cell
Characteristics: is a two terminal semiconductor device whose terminal resistance will vary
(linearly) with the intensity of the incident light. For obvious reasons, it is frequently called a
photoresistive device.
Applications: colorimetric, turbidimetric, and fluorescence titrations
e. Industrial photoelectric devices
Photoelectric sensors, Laser sensors, etc.
Applications: medical technology industry, detection devices
f. Optoelectronic devices
Characteristics: Optoelectronic devices are electrical-to-optical or optical-to-electrical
transducers, or instruments that use such devices in their operation.
Photodiode, Solar Cells, Emitting Diodes, Optical Fiber, Laser Diodes
Applications: fiber optic communications, solar panels etc.
 g. Optoisolator
Characteristics: An optoisolator (also known as optical coupler, optocoupler and opto-
isolator) is a semiconductor device that uses a short optical transmission path to transfer an
electrical signal between circuits or elements of a circuit, while keeping them electrically
isolated from each other.
Applications: switch for other larger electronic device
h. Temperature sensors
Characteristics: Most commonly, temperature sensors are used to measure temperature in
circuits which control a variety of equipment's. There are different types of temperature
sensors used in the market today including resistance temperature detectors (RTDs),
thermocouples, thermistors, infrared sensor , and semiconductor sensors
Applications: regulate, monitor, control, and compensate temperature.
i. Pressure sensor
Characteristics: is a device for pressure measurement of gases or liquids.
Applications: pressure sensing
j. Mechanical sensor
Characteristics: measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be
read by an observer or by an instrument
k. Level sensor
Characteristics: a device for determining the level or amount of fluids, liquids or other
substances that flow in an open or closed system.
l. Speed sensor
Characteristics: used for detecting speed of an object or vehicle is called as Speed sensor.
There are different types of sensors to detect the speed such as Wheel speed sensors,
speedometers, LIDAR, ground speed radar, pitometer logs, doppler radar, air speed
indicators, pitot tubes and so on.
Applications: microcontroller and wireless communications
m. Light sensor
Characteristics: A light sensor is an electronic device used to detect light. There are several
types of light sensors. A photocell or photo resistor is a small sensor which changes its
resistance when light shines on it. ... Photomultipliers detect light and multiply it .
Applications: night light, alarm, etc.
n. Position sensor
Characteristics: device that permits position measurement. It can either be an absolute
position sensor or a relative one (displacement sensor). Position sensors can be linear,
angular, or multi-axis
Applications: Medical equipment, Packaging machines, Injection molding machines.