Photodetection and Measurement: Making Effective Optical Measurements for an Acceptable Cost

by Mark Johnson

Overview

MAKE OPTICAL MEASUREMENTS WITH MAXIMUM ACCURACY AND MINIMUM COST

The "opto-electronics revolution" has made the art and science of making sensitive, accurate, and inexpensive optical measurements must-know information for legions of electronic engineers and research students. And there’s no faster or easier way to master photodetection and measurement techniques than with this hands-on tutorial written by a teacher with experience enough to know the questions you would ask.

A clear, easy-to-understand "rules-of-thumb" approach shows you how to make high-performance optical measurements by getting the fundamentals right, often with simple, inexpensive equipment commonly found in laboratories. It includes treatment of:
* Photodetectors
* Amplifiers
* LED sources
* Electronic modulation and demodulation
* Interference avoidance
* Data acquisition and basic DSP You’ll also gain a firm understanding of noise-reduction techniques and the essentials of building-in speed, sensitivity,and stability. If you want to learn the secret of making sound optical measurements without expensive equipment, this is the one resource you shouldn’t work without.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071433488
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	07/22/2003
Series:	Professional Engineering
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Mark Johnson, Ph.D is an independent consultant in opto-electronics and measurement innovation. He is a visiting professor at Salford University in England and St. Etienne University in France and has managed corporate research teams in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany. Dr. Johnson resides in Cheshire, England.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Photodetection Basics Chapter 2: Amplified Detection Circuitry Chapter 3: Fundamental Noise Basics and Calculations Chapter 4: Interlude -- Alternative Circuits and Detection Techniques Chapter 5: System Noise and Synchronous Detection Chapter 6: Some Electronic Circuits and Construction Techniques to Get You Going Chapter 7: Control of Ambient Light Chapter 8: Stability -- Temperature Compensation Techniques Chapter 9: Contamination and Industrial Systems Chapter 10: Measured Modulation Chapter 11: Multiple-Channel Detection APPENDIX A: CALCULATIONS USING THE COMPLEX FREQUENCY REPRESENTATION APPENDIX B: WHAT DOES THE SPECTRUM ANALYZER MEASURE? APPENDIX C: BLUFF YOUR WAY IN DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING APPENDIX D: THE WEIGHING PROBLEM REFERENCES INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
If the idea of taking optical measurements seems a bit esoteric, you better think again. Your world is changing, and your need to know how to measure certain kinds of light has become increasingly commonplace. The importance of this kind of information has grown exponentially, as the market's need for constantly increasing sophistication in technology escalates. This outstanding book is a hands-on tutorial to show you how to take optical measurements easily and inexpensively.

Author Mark Johnson begins by discussing the basics of photodetection using junction photodiodes and shows how they can be represented by a simple current-generator model. Next, Johnson progresses from photodetectors to photodetection, simple electronic circuits that allow observation and measurement of state and varying optical signals with a voltmeter, on an oscilloscope, or as part of an optoelectronic product. Then, you'll look at the fundamental sources of noise. Next, the author looks at a handful of less common, but occasionally very useful photodetection configurations. The author then goes on to cover system noise and synchronous detection. Next, Johnson presents a small collection of the "electronic clichés" or useful electronic circuits and construction techniques that you will need to get you going, together with some suggestions for actual components.

There are many approaches to controlling ambient light: some optical, some electronic; this book will look at a few of these. Many optical measurement systems suffer from a lack of optical signal energy. Here, the author looks at the main issue: a lack of stability. Next, he discusses some of the problems involved in transferring a high-performance optical instrument, well designed in consideration of photon budgets and temperature drift performance, to an industrial environment where it is up against a different set of stresses, the greatest of which is so-called fouling. Then, you'll work through an important measurement situation where noise and stability are strongly coupled. Finally, the author concludes with a discussion of additional electronic measurements.

The principles contained in this excellent book are interesting and didactic for the whole of optical measurement. Anyone in research or electrical engineering will benefit from having this book close at hand when a problem presents itself. John R. Vacca

John R. Vacca, the former computer security official (CSO) for NASA's space station program (Freedom), has written nearly 40 books about advanced storage, computer security, and aerospace technology.

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