DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC

ENGINEERING
NWFP UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING
AND TECHNOLGY ABBOTTABAD
CAMPUS

Assignment#01
Name: Hamza khan.
Registration No: 17ABELT0761.
Section: “B”
Class No: “30”
Submitted To: Sir Muhammad Fayyaz.
Subject: Optoelectronics.
Date of Submission: 04 July 2021.
What are optoelectronics devices?
Optoelectronics device is basically an electronic device involving light. This
device can be found in many optoelectronics applications like military services,
telecommunications, automatic access control systems and medical equipments.
Optoelectronics is the communication between optics and electronics which
includes the study, design and manufacture of a hardware device that
converts electrical energy into light and light into energy through semiconductors.
This device is made from solid crystalline materials which are lighter than metals
and heavier than insulators.
Examples of optoelectronic devices include telecommunication laser, blue laser,
optical fiber, LED traffic lights, photo diodes and solar cells. Majority of the
optoelectronic devices (direct conversion between electrons and photons) are
LEDs, laser diodes, photo diodes and solar cells.
Types of Optoelectronics Devices:
Optoelectronics are classified into different types such as

 Photodiode
 Solar Cells
 Light Emitting Diodes
 Optical Fiber
 Laser Diodes
Photo Diode:
A photo diode is a semiconductor light sensor that generates a voltage or current
when light falls on the junction. It consists of an active P-N junction, which is
operated in reverse bias. When a photon with plenty of energy strikes the
semiconductor, an electron or hole pair is created. The electrons diffuse to the
junction to form an electric field.
This electric field across the depletion zone is equal to a negative voltage across
the unbiased diode. This method is also known as the inner photoelectric effect.
This device can be used in three modes: photovoltaic as a solar cell, forward
biased as an LED and reverse biased as a photo detector.
Solar Cells:
A solar cell or photo-voltaic cell is an electronic device that directly converts sun’s
energy into electricity.
When sunlight falls on a solar cell, it produces both a current and a voltage to
produce electric power. Sunlight, which is composed of photons, radiates from the
sun. When photons hit the silicon atoms of the solar cell, they transfer their energy
to lose electrons; and then, these high-energy electron flow to an external circuit.
The solar cell is composed of two layers which are struck together. The first layer
is loaded with electrons, so these electrons are ready to jump from the first layer to
the second layer. The second layer has some electrons taken away, and therefore, it
is ready to take more electrons. The advantages of solar cells are that, there is no
fuel supply and cost problem. These are very dependable and require little
maintenance.
The solar cells are applicable in rural electrification, telecommunication systems,
ocean navigation aids, electric power generation system in space and remote
monitoring and control systems.
Light-Emitting Diodes (LED’s):
Light-emitting diode is a P-N semiconductor diode in which the recombination of
electrons and holes yields a photon. When the diode is electrically biased in the
forward direction, it emits incoherent narrow spectrum light. When a voltage is
applied to the leads of the LED, the electrons recombine with the holes within the
device and release energy in the form of photons. This effect is called as
electroluminescence. It is the conversion of electrical energy into light. The color
of the light is decided by the energy band gap of the material.
The usage of LED is advantageous as it consumes less power and produces less
heat. LEDs last longer than incandescent lamps. LEDs could become the next
generation of lighting and used anywhere like in indication lights, computer
components, medical devices, watches, instrument panels, switches, fiber-optic
communication, consumer electronics, household appliances, etc.
Optical Fiber:
An optical fiber or optic fiber is a plastic and transparent fiber made of plastic or
glass. It is somewhat thicker than a human hair. It can function as a light pipe or
waveguide to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. Optical fibers
usually include three concentric layers: a core, a cladding and a jacket. The core, a
light transmitting region of the fiber, is the central section of the fiber, which is
made of silica. Cladding, the protective layer around the core, is made of silica.
This creates an optical waveguide that limits the light in the core by total reflection
at the interface of the core-cladding. Jacket, the non-optical layer around the
cladding, typically consists of one or more layers of a polymer that protect the
silica from the physical or environmental damage.
These cables are used in telecommunications, sensors, fiber lasers, bio-medicals
and in many other industries. The advantages of using optical-fiber cable include
their higher bandwidth, less signal degradation, weightlessness and thinness than a
copper wire, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and hence they are used in medical and
mechanical imaging systems.

Laser Diodes:
Laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) is a source of highly
monochromatic, coherent and directional light. It operates under stimulated
emission condition. The function of a laser diode is to convert electrical energy
into light energy like infrared diodes or LEDs. The beam of a typical laser has
4×0.6mm extending at a distance of 15 meters. The most common lasers used are
injection lasers or semiconductor lasers. The semiconductor laser changes from
other lasers like solid, liquid and gas lasers.
When a voltage is applied across the P-N junction, the population inversion of the
electrons is produced, and then the laser beam is available from the semiconductor
region. The ends of the P-N junction of the laser diode have polished surface, and
hence, the emitted photons reflect back to create more electron pairs. Thus, the
photons generated will be in phase with the previous photons.
Applications of Optoelectronics Devices:
a. Photodiodes are used in many types of circuits and different applications
such as cameras, medical instruments, safety equipment’s, industries,
communication devices and industrial equipment’s.

b. Solar cells are applicable in rural electrification, telecommunication

systems, ocean navigation aids, and electric power generation in space and
remote monitoring and control systems and also used in different solar
energy based projects.

c. LEDs could become the next generation of lighting and used anywhere like
in indication lights, computer components, medical devices, watches,
instrument panels, switches, fiber-optic communication, consumer
electronics, household appliances, traffic signals, automobile brake lights, 7
segment displays and inactive displays, and also used in different electronic
and electrical engineering projects.

d. Optical fibers are used in telecommunications, sensors, fiber lasers, bio-

medicals and in many other industries.

e. Laser diodes are used in fiber optic communication, optical

memories, military applications, CD players, surgical
procedures, Local Area Networks, long distance communications, optical
memories, fiber optic communications and in electrical projects such as RF
Controlled Robotic Vehicle with Laser Beam Arrangement and so on.

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