Tell me more ×
Physics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for active researchers, academics and students of physics. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite

Can someone explain me the meaning of the A/W unit of the photosensivity when reading a spectral response function of the wavelength characteristic of a photodiode?

share|improve this question
I'm not an expert but my guess is that it refers to the current (in Ampère) produced per Watt of light incident on the photodiode. – Wouter Feb 25 at 18:58
Is electronics.stackexchange.com a better home for this question? – Qmechanic♦ Feb 25 at 19:02
@Wouter: If this question isn't moved, then you should turn your "guess-comment" into a "fact-answer". – KDN Feb 25 at 19:06
This looks like physics to me, being focused on the device-level. Electronics.stackexchange.com seems more like circuit-level. Sorry for the misplacing though, if it is indeed misplaced. Thanks Wouter for the answer. – arminski42 Feb 25 at 19:16
I wrote up an answer as @KDN suggested, since it's more clear than a comment. – Wouter Feb 25 at 19:39

1 Answer

up vote 4 down vote

The $A/W$ units refer to the current (in Ampère) produced per Watt of light incident on the photodiode. This current-production happens when the diode operates in the so-called photoconductive mode. Since your question wasn't on the inner workings of a photodiode, I won't expand on this, but Wikipedia contains some more information if desired.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.