photodiode

noun

pho·​to·​di·​ode ˌfō-tō-ˈdī-ˌōd 

: a photoelectric semiconductor device for detecting and often measuring radiant energy (such as light)

Examples of photodiode in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers made a receiver having multiple photodiodes and a narrow-band optical filter to suppress background light, enabling reliable operation in outdoor environments relevant to ITS applications. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026

These brief emissions were captured using high-speed imaging, photodiode detection, and photon-counting devices. — Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

Whereas sunlight boils water for the electrical grid, starlight generates a mere trickle of electricity on large photodiodes that are like the cells of a solar panel. — Victoria Corless, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2025

This works by sending a tiny bit of the optical signal to a photodiode that measures how much optical power is there. — Ars Technica, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for photodiode

• afterload
• episode
• internode
• microcode
• multimode
• nematode
• nesselrode
• overflowed
• overload
• overrode
• radioed
• torpedoed

Medical Definition

photodiode

noun

pho·​to·​di·​ode -ˈdī-ˌōd 

: a photoelectric semiconductor device for detecting and often measuring radiant energy (such as light)