A PIN diode has a wide undoped intrinsic region sandwiched between P and N type semiconductor regions. The InGaAs material absorbs incident Infrared light in the intrinsic region generating electron hole pairs which are collected at external electrodes, generating an electrical signal.
Photovoltaic detectors are an excellent choice in many applications due to their high sensitivity, fast response, low noise and wide dynamic range.
A typical standard product is the IG19 with a peak wavelength of 1.75 microns and cut of at 1.9 microns, making it ideal for applications such as gas analysis, laser monitoring and tuneable diode laser spectroscopy.
The detector chips are housed in standard TO style packages and have active area diameters ranging from 0.23 to 3.00mm.