FAST RESPONSE SOLID STATE PME DETECTOR FOR LASER SIGNALS
Abstract
The photomagnetoelectric effect in germanium can be used for building sensitive, fast response photodetectors if the following two conditions are fulfilled: (a) semiconductor slabs are made very thin and, (b) the front surface recombination velocity is mad low. A germanium device, e.g., in which the sample is placed between the poles of a small permanent magnet, produces output voltages of 200 mv with response times of below 10-7 seconds at high light intensities. The thin Ge wafers used in this device were obtained by controlled photoetching of single crystals to a thickness down to 6 microns whereby the current leads for the etching are arranged in such a way that they serve later as PME leads. Preliminary tests with PME cells reproduced the fine structure of ruby laser signals with a similar resolution as photomultiplier tubes. The ultimate limit of the response time is believed to be in the nanosecond range, making it possible to use the detector as demodulater in high volume optical communication systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0286656
Entities
People
- A. Boatright
- H. Mette
Organizations
- Army Research Office