With standard sizes of up to 60mm (1D) and 45x45mm (2D), PSDs provide a large active area which is sensitive to the position of an incident light spot, and compared to multi-element devices such as quadrant detectors and bi-cells, the single active area provides a huge dynamic range with a detection range on the micron scale!
PSDs are available in pin or SMD packages, and for additional ease of use we can also build them with integrated Signal Processing Circuits, within mountable devices which can be easily handled and connected via an RS-232 port, and provide external amplifier circuits which can adjust the gain of the detector.