Pb₂CrO₅ photovoltaic device for the detecting light-beam position

Abstract

A light position detector operating through a photovoltaic effect of a Pb₂CrO₅ ceramic disk with a pair of Au planar electrodes is investigated. A fabrication technique and the basic characteristics of the photovoltaic device for position detection are described. A peak photovoltage is obtained around the edge of the electrode for an incident light beam. The incident light beam shape and the electrode pattern are important factors for obtaining a linear relation between the light-beam position and the output signal from the device. A device fabricated for detecting one-dimensional light position has a high position resolution of 0.5 μm and a good linearity of ±2 μm or less. A two-dimensional device can be fabricated in the same way as the one-dimensional device, except for the electrode pattern. A method for two-dimensional light position detection using a Pb₂CrO₅ photovoltaic cell is demonstrated for a green LED as a light source.