Optical Receiver For Fiber Optic Communication

Before being received by a microcomputer system, the optical signal transmitted through optical fibers must first be restored to the corresponding electrical signal. This conversion is achieved through a light receiver. The function of an optical receiver is to convert the optical signal transmitted from the optical fiber into an electrical signal, and then submit the electrical signal to the control system for processing. A photodetector is based on the principle of photoelectric effect, which irradiates the PN junction of a semiconductor with light. The PN junction of the semiconductor absorbs light energy and generates charge carriers, thus producing the photoelectric effect of the PN junction and converting optical signals into electrical signals. The semiconductor receivers used in fiber optic systems mainly include semiconductor photodiodes, phototransistors, photomultiplier tubes, and photovoltaic cells. Phototransistors can not only convert incident light signals into electrical signals, but also amplify them, making them well matched with control system interface circuits. Therefore, the application of phototransistors is the most extensive.