photodetector

noun

pho·​to·​de·​tec·​tor ˌfō-tō-di-ˈtek-tər How to pronounce photodetector (audio)
: any of various devices for detecting and measuring the intensity of radiant energy through photoelectric action

Examples of photodetector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The connecting electronics can also be made largely transparent so that the entire photodetector array transmits up to 95 per cent of the light hitting it. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 That signal is then passed to a photodetector that translates it into an electronic one that can interface with other devices. IEEE Spectrum, 19 Mar. 2024 The next step was to incorporate those quantum dots into a lab-scale photodetector. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024 The challenge is that technology that relies on LEDs to project light onto the skin and photodetectors to record the amount of light reflected can have a tough time with melanin, which alters skin light absorption. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2024 Beneath the ice are photodetectors that pick up the neutrino signals. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 June 2023 Last year, Imec succeeded in using transfer printing to attach such light sources onto a wafer containing silicon-photonic waveguides, high-speed optical modulators, and photodetectors. Roel Baets, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2023 Each photodetector independently measures changes in light, and an algorithm stitches together the three readings in order to gauge speed and motion direction. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 4 Aug. 2015 After the split light repeatedly bounces back and forth within each arm, the two beams then pass back through the beam splitter into a photodetector. Caitlyn Buongiorno, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'photodetector.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of photodetector was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near photodetector

Cite this Entry

“Photodetector.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photodetector. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

photodetector

noun
pho·​to·​de·​tec·​tor -di-ˈtek-tər How to pronounce photodetector (audio)
: any of various devices for detecting and measuring the intensity of radiant energy through photoelectric action
… the pulse oximeter incorporates both photodiodes and photodetector in a fingertip sensor that can be clipped or taped to the patient's finger.The New England Journal of Medicine

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