From the course: Electronics Foundations: Semiconductor Devices
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Photodiodes
From the course: Electronics Foundations: Semiconductor Devices
Photodiodes
- [Instructor] A photodiode is basically the opposite of a light emitting diode. Unlike an LED which converts electrical current passing through it into light, when light shines on the semiconductor junction in a photodiode, the photodiode absorbs energy from the light and converts it into electrical current. The schematic symbol for a photodiode is similar to the symbol for an LED, except that the arrow points in the other direction to represent light shining onto the photodiode. Physically, photodiodes come in a variety of shapes and sizes for different applications ranging from small photo cells that can be used to build light detector circuits to large solar panels that can be used to power devices. Some through hole photodiode components come in a package that looks very similar to an LED. So be careful not to get them mixed up in your parts scape. Like LEDs, photodiodes are polarized components, so their orientation in…
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