SKU: FCSA
Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) offer a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than PIN photodiodes, primarily in low-light or low-signal conditions. Specifically, the SNR advantage of APDs is most significant when:
1. In low-light conditions, APDs provide internal gain (multiplication of photocurrent), boosting weak signals before noise from downstream electronics becomes significant. This leads to improved SNR compared to PIN diodes, which lack internal gain and are limited by amplifier noise at low signal levels.
2. APDs typically have higher capacitance and lower bandwidth than PINs for the same area. When the application doesn’t require ultra-high-speed operation, APDs can be beneficial due to the improved SNR from gain.
3. APDs multiply the signal but also introduce excess noise due to the stochastic multiplication process. However, when the dominant noise source is thermal (like preamp noise in a PIN system), the APD’s gain outweighs the multiplication noise.
Associated sensor electronic driver or amplifier is also available.
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