CMOS photodetectors for industrial position sensing

The properties of a CMOS-compatible pn-photodiode, phototransistor, and one-dimensional lateral-effect photodiode (LEP) for position-sensing applications are characterized. The photodiode and phototransistor seem to have properties that are comparable to typical commercial photodetectors despite the relatively large variations in their spatial and spectral responses and the lower responsivity in the near-infrared band. In addition to the above properties the LEP's show excellent linearity, but 3-4 times larger NEP than corresponding commercial LEP's due to low resistance of the current dividing layer. The responsivity variations have no effect on the linearity of the LEP, and the slightly lower responsivity at near-infrared has only a negligible effect on the achievable resolution (SNR). These properties, usually considered as weak points of CMOS-compatible photodetectors, are believed to have little or no effect on the properties of a position sensor, if the diameter of the light spot is small (<100 μm). CMOS-compatible photodetectors are therefore believed to be very suitable for industrial position-sensing applications