Lecturer: Silvano Donati  

Course name: Fotorivelatori
Course code: 062219
Degree course: Ingegneria Elettronica e delle Telecomunicazioni
Disciplinary field of science: ING-INF/01
The course relates to:
University credits: CFU 5
Course website: www-3.unipv.it/donati

Specific course objectives

to introduce photodetection devices and techniques for application to fiberoptic communications and instrumentation

Course programme

Detectors. The photodetection processes. Direct and coherent detection. Spectral sensitivity, threshold of photoemission. Regimes of thermal- and quantum-limited photodetection. Figures of merit of detectors. Photocathodes. Photomultipliers: types, biassing, gain and dark current, the SER response, noise in energy and light-pulse measurements, accuracy of timing, counting mode. Semiconductor photodiodes: parameters and design. Junction engineering. Low-noise design of front-end amplifiers for photodiodes. The APD's: materials, ionization ratio, multiplication gain, bandwidth and noise analysis. Other semiconductor photodetectors: photoresistors, infrared detectors for MIR, FIR and EIR. Responsivity and detectivity. Thermal detectors with application to thermovision. Image devices: vidicon, intensified vidicons, CCD's. Charge transfer and readout organizations; noise Image intensifiers, X-ray converters, streak cameras. Advanced topics: injection detection, squeezed state, parametric and QND detection, optically preamplified detection.

Argomento da modificare

Course entry requirements

basic electronics and electronics circuits

Course structure and teaching

Lectures (hours/year in lecture theatre): 31
Practical class (hours/year in lecture theatre): 6
Practicals / Workshops (hours/year in lecture theatre): 12
Project work (hours/year in lecture theatre): 0

Suggested reading materials

Donati. S.. Photodetectors. Prentice Hall 1999.

Donati. S.. Fotorivelatori, II edizione. AEI 1999, Milano.

Testing and exams

text: S.Donati: "Photodetectors", by Prentice Hall, New York 2000, US$85, also available as paperback exam: a writtem exam with 5 questions/simple problems 1 hour