photodiode

noun pho·to·di·ode \ ˌfō-tō-ˈdī-ˌōd \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Definition of photodiode

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

Recent Examples of photodiode from the Web

Star gazing 1922: Professor Joel Stebbins attaches what is called a photodiode to the Washburn Observatory’s 15-inch telescope to measure and track stars.

— mark johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW scientific advances include vitamins, growing human embryonic stem cells in lab," 12 July 2018
The lasers have slightly different pulse repetition frequencies, so over time, the output of the photodiode oscillates from producing two signals to producing four and back again.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Lidar system images bullet in flight," 30 Mar. 2018
The simplest part of the system is probably the laser measurement system, which only requires a laser with very high polarization purity and five photodiodes, all mounted on a very, very stable table.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Negative mass swing beats the uncertainty principle," 1 Aug. 2017
For solar power, the device uses a tiny (1 cm square) photodiode.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "You’d Never Have to Plug in This Battery-Free Cell Phone," 20 July 2017
Supplemental power to increase the device’s range comes from photodiodes, essentially tiny solar panels.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "The Best Phone Battery Might Be No Battery At All," 9 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'photodiode.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.