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In the electronics industry, photodiodes find application in different forms. To meet these requirements different types of photodiode are used. These different types of photodiodes are :

There are four types of photodiodes and they are:

PN photodiode: The first photodiode to be developed was PN photodiode. This photodiode finds application in many instances. Within the depletion area, the detection of the photo takes place. This photodiode is used in low light applications as the diode doesn’t require reverse bias. This is the reason why the noise produced by the photodiode is less.


PIN photodiode: These days PIN photodiode finds wide applications. It collects the light photons more efficiently than PN photodiode. This photodiode provides a large area for the collection and conversion of the light photons.


Avalanche photodiode: Avalanche process is used for providing extra performances. The structure of avalanche photodiode is similar to PN and PIN photodiode. This photodiode works in higher reverse bias condition enabling multiplication of holes and electrons.


Schottky photodiode: This photodiode is a combination of many Schottky diodes which provide high speed and long-wavelength detection.

PN and PIN photodiodes are one of the popular forms of photo diodes. They have their own characteristics that make them very suited to many applications.

PN photodiode
The basic PN photodiode is used in a number of instances. The photo detection occurs within the depletion area of the diode. As this is relatively small, the sensitivity is not as great as that for some other forms of photo diode.

PIN photodiode basics
The PIN photodiode provides additional sensitivity and performance over that of the basic PN junction photodiode.