1.  Home
  2. Whitepapers
  3. Using High-Speed Photodetectors for Pulsed-Laser Measurements

Using High-Speed Photodetectors for Pulsed-Laser Measurements

Download Whitepaper

Using High-Speed Photodetectors for Pulsed-Laser Measurements

Download Whitepaper
Our time-domain optimized high-speed detectors are commonly used for measuring the pulse shape of short-pulsed lasers or for generating an optical trigger signal from short optical pulses. Some important considerations must be taken into account when these types of measurements are made.One important consideration in such measurements is the optical saturation level of the photoreceiver under pulsed-laser excitation. Saturation will begin when the output signal reaches a certain level, and for all signal types (including pulses) this level is given roughly by the cw input saturation power (Pcw) multiplied by the gain, G. For pulses much shorter than the response time of the photoreceiver the output pulse will have a width equal to the FWHM of the photoreceiver’s impulse response. For pulses of period T, then, the average power at saturation will be Pcw scaled by the duty cycle of the output signal, FWHM/T.

Download Whitepaper Now