LIGHT SENSOR (LDR)
An LDR (Light dependent resistor), as its name suggests, offers resistance in
response to the ambient light. The resistance decreases as the intensity of
incident light increases, and vice versa. In the absence of light, LDR exhibits a
resistance of the order of mega-ohms which decreases to few hundred ohms in
the presence of light. It can act as a sensor, since a varying voltage drop can be
obtained in accordance with the varying light. It is made up of cadmium
sulphide (CdS).
Fig: LDR symbol and schematic
An LDR has a zigzag cadmium sulphide track. It is a bilateral device, i.e.,
conducts in both directions in same fashion.
A photoresistor or light dependent resistor (LDR) is a resistor whose resistance
decreases with increasing incident light intensity; in other words, it exhibits
photoconductivity. It can also be referred to as a photoconductor or CdS device,
from "cadmium sulfide," which is the material from which the device is made
and that actually exhibits the variation in resistance with light level. Note that
although CdS is a semiconductor, it is not doped silicon.
Fig: LDR construction
A photoresistor is made of a high resistance semiconductor. If light
falling on the device is of high enough frequency, photons absorbed by the
semiconductor give bound electrons enough energy to jump into the conduction
band. The resulting free electron (and its hole partner) conduct electricity,
thereby lowering resistance.
A photoelectric device can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. An intrinsic
semiconductor has its own charge carriers and is not an efficient semiconductor,
e.g. silicon. In intrinsic devices the only available electrons are in the valence
band, and hence the photon must have enough energy to excite the electron
across the entire bandgap.
Extrinsic devices have impurities, also called dopants, added whose
ground state energy is closer to the conduction band; since the electrons do not
have as far to jump, lower energy photons (i.e., longer wavelengths and lower
frequencies) are sufficient to trigger the device. If a sample of silicon has some
of its atoms replaced by phosphorus atoms (impurities), there will be extra
electrons available for conduction. This is an example of an extrinsic
semiconductor. Photoresistors are basically photocells.
Table: Electrical parameters
Photoresistors come in many different types. Inexpensive cadmium sulphide
cells can be found in many consumer items such as camera light meters, street
lights, clock radios, alarm devices, outdoor clocks,solar street lamps and solar
road studs etc.
They are also used in some dynamic compressors together with a small
incandescent lamp or light emitting diode to control gain reduction and are also
used in bed lamps etc.
Lead sulphide (PbS) and indium antimonide (InSb) LDRs (light dependent
resistor) are used for the mid infrared spectral region. Ge:Cu photoconductors
are among the best far-infrared detectors available, and are used for infrared
astronomy and infrared spectroscopy.
