Application circuit examples

Low-light-level detection circuit ing a circuit board made from material having high insulation
resistance. As countermeasures against current leakage from
Low-light-level detection circuits require measures for reducing
the surface of the circuit board, try using a guard pattern or el-
electromagnetic noise in the surrounding area, AC noise from
evated wiring with teflon terminals for the wiring from the pho-
the power supply, and internal op amp noise, etc.
todiode to op amp input terminals and also for the feedback
Figure 4 shows one measure for reducing electromagnetic
resistor (Rf) and feedback capacitor (Cf) in the input wiring.
noise in the surrounding area.
Hamamatsu offers the C6386-01, C9051 and C9329 photosen-
sor amplifiers optimized for use with photodiodes for low-light-
Figure 4 Low-light-level sensor head
level detection.
(a) Example using shielded cable to connect to photodiode
+5 V
Rf1 SW1 +
10μ
0
Figure 5 Photosensor amplifiers
Rf2 SW2 +
10 μ -5 V
Metal package (a) C6386-01 (b) C9051
PD Cf -
- IC2 Vo
IC1 +
Isc Shielded +
cable 10-turn
1 potentiometer
BNC Metal shielded box
coaxial
cable,
etc.
KSPDC0051EC

(b) Example using metal shielded box that contains entire circuit (c) C9329
Rf1 SW1 + μ +5 V
10 0
Rf2 SW2 +
10 μ -5 V

Cf
PD
-
-
IC2 Vo
The photodiodes, and coaxial
ISC IC1 +
+ cables with BNC-to-BNC
10-turn
potentiometer plugs are sold separately.
Metal shielded box
KSPDC0052EB

Light-to-logarithmic-voltage conversion circuit

(c) Example using optical fiber
Rf1 SW1 +5 V The voltage output from a light-to-logarithmic voltage conver-
+
10 μ 0
Rf2 SW2 +
10 μ sion circuit (Figure 6) is proportional to the logarithmic change
-5 V
in the detected light level. The log diode D for logarithmic
Cf
PD -
ISC - IC2 Vo conversion should have low dark current and low series resis-
Optical IC1 +
fiber +
10-turn tance. A Base-Emitter junction of small signal transistors or
potentiometer
Gate-Source junction of connection type of FETs can also be
Metal shielded box
KSPDC0053EB used as the diode. I B is the current source that supplies bias
Bold lines should be within guarded pattern or on teflon terminals. current to the log diode D and sets the circuit operating point.
IC1 : AD549, OPA124, etc. Unless this I B current is supplied, the circuit will latch up when
IC 2 : OP07, etc.
Cf : 10 pF to 100 pF, polystyrene capacitor the photodiode short circuit current I SC becomes zero.
Rf : 10 GΩ max.
SW : Low-leakage reed relay, switch Figure 6 Light-to-logarithmic-voltage conversion circuit
PD : S1226/S1336/S2386 series, S2281, etc. D Io
+15 V
Vo = Isc × Rf [V] IB
-
R IC Vo
Extracting the photodiode signal from the cathode terminal is PD
+
Isc
another effective means. An effective countermeasure against -15 V

AC noise from the power supply is inserting an RC filter or an

D: Diode of low dark current and low series resistance
LC filter in the power supply line. Using a dry cell battery as the IB : Current source for setting circuit operation point, IB << Isc
power supply also proves effective way. Op amp noise can be R: 1 GΩ to 10 GΩ
Io : D saturation current, 10-15 to 10-12 A
reduced by selecting an op amp having a low 1/f noise and low IC : FET-input Op amp, etc.
equivalent input noise current. Moreover, high-frequency noise Isc + IB
Vo ≈ -0.06 log ( + 1) [V]
can be reduced by using a feedback capacitor (Cf) to limit the cir- Io KPDC0021EA

cuit frequency range to match the signal frequency bandwidth.

Output errors (due to the op amp input bias current and input Light integration circuit
offset voltage, routing of the circuit wiring, circuit board sur- This is a light integration circuit using integration circuits of
face leak current, etc.) should be reduced, next. A FET input photodiode and op amp and is used to measure the integrated
op amp with input bias currents below a few hundred fA or power or average power of a light pulse train with an erratic
CMOS input op amp with low 1/f noise are selected. Using an pulse height, cycle and width.
op amp with input offset voltages below several millivolts and The integrator IC in the figure 7 accumulates short circuit cur-
an offset adjustment terminal will prove effective. Also try us- rent Isc generated by each light pulse in the integration capaci-
Si Photodiodes 42
 tance C. By measuring the output voltage Vo immediately before Basic illuminometer (2)
reset, the average short circuit current can be obtained from the
This is an basic illuminometer circuit using a visual-compensat-
integration time (to) and the capacitance C. A low dielectric ab-
ed Si photodiode S7686 and an op amp. A maximum of 10000
sorption type capacitor should be used as the capacitance C to
lx can be measured with a voltmeter having a 1 V range. It
eliminate reset errors. The switch SW is a CMOS analog switch.
is necessary to use a low consumption current type op amp
which can operate from a single voltage supply with a low in-
Figure 7 Light integration circuit
put bias current.
+15 V
An incandescent lamp of 100 W can be used for approximate
10 k
C calibrations in the same way as shown above “Basic illuminom-
13
2 SW 1
1k
eter (1)”. To make calibrations, first select the 10 mV/lx range
1k Reset input
14 7
and short the wiper terminal of the variable resistor VR and the
Isc
Isc
+15 V output terminal of the op amp. Adjust the distance between
2 7
PD
-
IC 6 the photodiode S7686 and the incandescent lamp so that the
VO t
+
4 VO voltmeter reads 0.45 V. (At this point, illuminance on S7686
3 -15 V
surface is about 100 lx.) Then adjust VR so that the voltmeter
Reset
t reads 1.0 V. Calibration has now been completed.
input

to t Figure 9 Basic illuminometer (2)

1M 10 mV/lx
Reset input: Use TTL “L” to reset. 1 mV/lx
100 k
IC : LF356, etc.
SW: CMOS 4066 10 k
PD : S1226/S1336/S2386 series, etc. 0.1 mV/lx
C : Polycarbonate capacitor, etc. 100 p
VR 500 1k
1
Vo = Isc × to × [V] 7
C 2
-
KPDC0027EB
6
3 IC
+ 8
PD
4 1k V Voltmeter
Basic illuminometer (1) Isc 006 p
(9 V)
A basic illuminometer circuit can be configured by using Hama-
matsu C9329 photosensor amplifier and S9219 Si photodiode VR: Meter calibration trimmer potentiometer
with sensitivity corrected to match human eye response. As IC : TLC271, etc.
PD: S7686 (0.45 μA/100 lx)
shown in Figure 8, this circuit can measure illuminance up to KPDC0018ED

a maximum of 1000 lx by connecting the output of the C9329

to a voltmeter in the 1 V range via an external resistive voltage Light balance detection circuit
divider.
Figure 10 shows a light balance detector circuit utilizing two Si
A standard light source is normally used to calibrate this circuit,
photodiodes PD 1 and PD 2 connected in reverse-parallel and an
but if not available, then a simple calibration can be performed
op amp current-voltage converter circuit.
with a 100 W white light source.
The photoelectric sensitivity is determined by the feedback
To calibrate this circuit, first select the L range on the C9329
resistance Rf. The output voltage Vo of this circuit is zero if the
and then turn the variable resistor VR clockwise until it stops.
amount of light entering the two photodiodes PD 1 and PD 2 is
Block the light to the S9219 while in this state, and rotate the
equal. By placing two diodes D in reverse parallel with each
zero adjusting volume control on the C9329 so that the voltme-
other, Vo will be limited range to about ±0.5 V in an unbal-
ter reads 0 mV. Next turn on the white light source, and adjust
anced state, so that the region around a balanced state can be
the distance between the white light source and the S9219 so
detected with high sensitivity. This circuit can be used for light
that the voltmeter display shows 0.225 V. (The illuminance on
balance detection between two specific wavelengths using op-
the S9219 surface at this time is approximately 100 lx.) Then
tical filters.
turn the VR counterclockwise until the voltmeter display shows
0.1 V. The calibration is now complete.
Figure 10 Light balance detection circuit
After calibration, the output should be 1 mV/lx in the L range,
Rf
and 100 mV/lx in the M range on the C9329. D
D
ISC2 ISC1 +15 V
Figure 8 Basic illuminometer (1) 2
- 7
IC 6 Vo
PD2 PD1
PD + 4
3
Photosensor -15 V
amplifier 1k

ISC C9329 VR PD: S1226/S1336/S2386 series, etc.

Coaxial cable
E2573 1k IC : LF356, etc.
V D : ISS226, etc.
CW
500
Vo = Rf × (Isc2 - Isc1) [V]
(Vo<±0.5 V)
Externally connected KPDC0017EB
voltage divider circuit
PD: S9219 (4.5 μA/100 lx)
KSPDC0054EB

43 Si Photodiodes
 Application circuit examples
Light absorption meter High-speed photodetector circuit (1)
This is a light absorption meter using a dedicated IC and two The high-speed photodetector circuit shown in Figure 13 utiliz-
photodiodes which provides a logarithmic ratio of two current es a low-capacitance Si PIN photodiode (with a reverse voltage
inputs (See Figure 11). By measuring and comparing the light applied) and a high-speed op amp current-voltage converter
intensity from a light source and the light intensity after trans- circuit. The frequency band of this circuit is limited by the op
mitting through a sample with two photodiodes, light absor- amp device characteristics to less than about 100 MHz.
bance by the sample can be measured. When the frequency band exceeds 1 MHz, the lead inductance
To make measurements, optical system such as the incident of each component and stray capacitance from feedback resis-
aperture should first be adjusted to become the output volt- tance Rf exert drastic effects on device response speed. That
age Vo to 0 V so that the short circuit current from the two Si effect can be minimized by using chip components to reduce
photodiodes is equal. Next, the sample is placed on the light the component lead inductance, and connecting multiple resis-
path of one photodiode. At this point, the output voltage value tors in series to reduce stray capacitance.
means the absorbance by the sample. The relationship be - The photodiode leads should be kept as short as possible and
tween the absorbance A and the output voltage Vo can be di- the pattern wiring to the op amp should be made as short and
rectly read as A=-Vo [V]. If a filter is interposed before the light thick as possible. This will lower effects from the stray capaci-
source as shown in the figure 11, the absorbance of specific tance and inductance occurring on the circuit board pattern of
light spectrum or monochromatic light can be measured. the op amp inputs and also alleviate effects from photodiode
lead inductance. Moreover, a ground plane structure utilizing
Figure 11 Light absorption meter copper plating at ground potential across the entire board sur-
+15 V face will prove effective in boosting device performance.
Sample Isc1
- A ceramic capacitor should be used as the 0.1 μF capacitor
PD connected to the op amp power line, and the connection to
A Vo
+ ground should be the minimum direct distance.
Filter Isc2
Hamamatsu offers C8366 photosensor amplifier for PIN photo-
100 p
diodes with a frequency bandwidth up to 100 MHz.
-15 V
A : Log amp Figure 13 High-speed photodetector circuit (1)
PD: S5870, etc. Rf
10 k ISC 51 Ω
PD
+15 V Vo
Vo = log (ISC1/ISC2) [V] + +15 V
10 μ 0.1 μ 7
KPDC0025EC 2-
0.1 μ
IC
+ 14 6
3
Total emission measurement of LED 0.1μ
-15 V
Since the emitting spectral width of LEDs is usually as narrow
PD: High-speed PIN photodiode (S5971, S5972, S5973, etc.)
as about several-ten nanometers, the amount of the LED emis- Rf : Two or more resistors are connected in series to eliminate parallel capacitance.
sion can be calculated from the Si photodiode photosensitivity IC : AD745, LT1360, HA2525, etc.

at a peak emission wavelength of the LED. In Figure 12, the in- Vo = -Isc × Rf [V]
KPDC0020ED
ner surface of the reflector block B is mirror-processed so that
it reflects the light emitted from the side of the LED towards
the Si photodiode. Therefore, the total amount of the LED Figure 14 Photosensor amplifier C8366
emission can be detected by the Si photodiode.

Figure 12 Total emission measurement of LED

Isc
IF

PD A
Po
LED

B
High-speed photodetector circuit (2)
A : Ammeter, 1 mA to 10 mA
PD: S2387-1010R The high-speed photodetector circuit in Figure 15 uses load
B : Aluminum block, inner Au plating resistance R L to convert the short circuit current from a low-
S : Photosensitivity of Si photodiode
Refer to the spectral response chart in the datasheets. capacitance Si PIN photodiode (with a reverse voltage applied)
S2387-1010R: S ≈ 0.58 A/W (λ=930 nm)
Po : Total emission to a voltage, and amplifies the voltage with a high-speed op
amp. There is no problem with gain peaking based due to
Po ≈ Isc [W] phase shifts in the op amp. A circuit with a frequency band-
S
KPDC0026EA width higher than 100 MHz can be attained by selecting the
correct op amp. Points for caution in the components, pattern
and structure are the same as those listed for the “High-speed
photodetector circuit (1)”.

Si Photodiodes 44
 Figure 15 High-speed photodetector circuit (2) Figure 17 AC photodetector circuit (2)
+5 V +15 V
10 k
10 k 10 μ
0.1 μ + 10 μ
PD 0.1 μ + 10 +
Isc 3 +7 6 1k
51 Ω
RL
IC
A Vo 0.1 μ
2 - 4 0.1 μ 0.1 μ
Vo
PD 1000 p
R ISC FET
Rf
RL
-5 V 1M
RS 0.1μ
PD : High-speed PIN photodiode
(S5971, S5972, S5973, S9055, S9055-01, etc.)
R L, R, Rf : Determined by recommended conditions of the op amp PD : High-speed PIN photodiode (S2506-02, S5971, S5972, S5973, etc.)
IC : AD8001, etc. RL : Determined by sensitivity and “time constant of Ct” of photodiode
Rs : Determined by operation point of FET
Rf
Vo = Isc × R L × (1 + ) [V] FET: 2SK362, etc.
R KPDC0034EA
KPDC0015EE

AC photodetector circuit (1)

The AC photodetector circuit in Figure 16 uses load resistance
R L to convert the photocurrent from a low-capacitance Si PIN
photodiode (with a reverse voltage applied) to a voltage, and
amplifies the voltage with a high-speed op amp. There is no
problem with gain peaking based due to phase shifts in the
op amp. A circuit with a frequency bandwidth higher than 100
MHz can be attained by selecting the correct op amp.
Points for caution in the components, pattern and structure are
the same as those listed for the “High-speed photodetector
circuit (1)”.

Figure 16 AC photodetector circuit (1)

+5 V
10 k
0.1 μ + 10 μ
PD 0.1 μ
Isc C 3 +7 6
51 Ω
r IC
A Vo
RL
2 - 4 0.1μ

R
Rf
-5 V
PD : High-speed PIN photodiode
(S5971, S5972, S5973, S9055, S9055-01, etc.)
R L, R, Rf, r : Determined by recommended conditions of the op amp
IC : AD8001, etc.

Vo = Isc × R L × (1 + Rf ) [V]
R
KPDC0034EA

AC photodetector circuit (2)

This AC photodetector circuit utilizes a low capacitance PIN
photodiode (with a reverse voltage applied) and a FET serving
as a voltage amplifier. Using a low-noise FET allows producing
a small yet inexpensive low-noise circuit, which can be used
in light sensors for FSO (free space optics) and optical remote
controls, etc. In Figure 17 the signal output is taken from the
FET drain. However, for interface to a next stage circuit having
low input resistance, the signal output can also be taken from
the source or a voltage-follower should be added.

45 Si Photodiodes