What is Phototransistor?

Construction, Working,
Types & Applications
There are different types of sensors used in the modern electronic circuit. One of these
sensors is photosensor that is used for sensing and monitoring light intensity. A
phototransistor is a type of photosensor that operate just like a photodiode but it has an
amplification factor. It amplifies the current between us terminals using the intensity of
light. It is more sensitive than a photodiode.
Phototransistor was invented In 1950 at bell telephone laboratories by Dr. John Northrup
Shive. it was operated by light rather than electrical current.

What is Phototransistor?
A phototransistor is a light-controlled switch that switches a circuit and amplifies
the current when exposed to light. It is a three-layer semiconductor device whose light-
sensitive base is exposed. The light striking the base converts into a base current that
amplifies the current between the emitter and collector proportional to the intensity of light.
They are used for sensing light pulses of high speed and small magnitude. It is similar to
BJT except for the exposed base instead of a terminal.

Symbol of Phototransistor
Unlike a normal transistor, a phototransistor has only two terminals, an emitter and
collector. The symbol of the phototransistor is very similar to any normal transistor except
for the base terminal. Instead of the base terminal, there are two pointing arrows
representing incident light as shown in the figure below.
In an NPN phototransistor, the emitter terminal has an arrow pointing outward while PNP
has an emitter pointing inward.

Terminals of Phototransistor
A phototransistor is available in both two leads and three leads designs. Two terminals
Phototransistor include collector and emitter. While the three-terminal design includes an
optional base terminal that allows it use like any normal transistor in no light conditions. It
allows it to bias it at a required operating point.

For identification, the collector is longer than the emitter. Also, the emitter has a flat spot at
the top.

Construction
The construction of a phototransistor is similar to any normal transistor except for the
missing base terminal and the wide light-sensitive base region. Commonly bipolar
phototransistor is used. There are two types of structures being used for phototransistors
i.e. Homojunction and heterojunction design.
Homojunction Design
Homojunction phototransistor is made of single semiconductor material. It is an early
design that either uses silicon or germanium. The whole device is made of a single
material thus the name home(same) junction phototransistor. The homojunction structure
of the phototransistor is given below.

It has a similar design to a normal bipolar transistor. The base and collector region is larger
as compared to a normal transistor. And the base is covered with transparent epoxy resin
and lens to prevent the base from contamination as well as focus light when entering the
region. Physically it resembles a photodiode.
The emitter is heavily doped as compared to the collector but the collector is relatively very
large. The physical area of the base and collector region is kept large to collect more light.
The larger area generates more base current, that is amplified. Thus making it more
sensitive than a photodiode.

Working Principle
Phototransistor operates just like any normal bipolar transistor except for the fact that the
base current is generated by a light source instead of a voltage source. The base current
is generated on the principle of the photovoltaic effect. According to this phenomenon
when photons strike the PN junction, electron-hole pairs are generated that separate and
move in the opposite direction thus creating a base current. The base current is then
amplified by the transistor action. Therefore the Phototransistor is 100 times more
sensitive than the photodiode.
When biasing, the collector is kept at a higher voltage with respect to the emitter in NPN
phototransistor while in PNP, the collector is at a lower voltage with respect to the emitter.
And the collector to the base junction is reverse biased. the base terminal (in the case of
three lead phototransistors) is kept open or not connected, otherwise, it will operate as a
normal transistor.
Under no light conditions, there is a small reverse saturation current or leakage current
called dark current that is directly proportional to the temperature as in photodiodes. When
light shines on the phototransistor, the lens focuses the light onto the collector-base
junction and generates a base current due to the photovoltaic effect. The base current is
amplified hundreds of times

Modes of Operation
The phototransistor just like BJT can operate in two modes i.e linear or active mode or
switch mode.
Linear or Active Mode: while operating in linear mode, the output current is directly
proportional to the intensity of the incident light. However, practically the response is not
very linear and forms a curve. Therefore, this mode is correctly known as Active mode.
This mode is used for its amplification factor. The base current generated is amplified
depending on the gain of the transistor.
Switch Mode: in switch mode operation, the phototransistor has two states i.e “Off” state
and “On” state just like a switch. Thus the name switch mode. This mode is usually used
due to the non-linear response of the phototransistor to the light.
When there is no light, there is no base current and the device is said to be in an “Off”
state. With an increase in light intensity, the output current increases. Eventually, a point is
reached where the increase in light intensity does not affect the output current and the
device is saturated. and The device is said to be in the “On” state.
Just like a digital switch, it operates on two levels. Due to the non-linear nature of the
active region, this mode is used for decoding, sending, object detection, signal conversion,
etc.
Parameters & Characteristics of Phototransistor
Since it has a similar design as BJT, it has similar characteristics.

It has two terminals emitter and collector. The base terminal is physically not available
since it is light-controlled.
Some designs include a base terminal that should remain disconnected. Otherwise, it
operates as normal BJT.
The collector is maintained at a higher voltage than the emitter to make the B-C
junction reverse and B-E junction forward bias.
Under no light conditions, there is a flow leakage current called dark current. It
depends on the temperature.
Light striking the junction generates a base current that is proportional to the intensity
of light. The base current is amplified into collector current with high gain.
It has two operation modes active and switch mode. In active mode, it operates as an
amplifier depending on light intensity. While in switch mode, it has “On” and “Off” states.
The voltage across the collector-emitter junction can permanently damage it if it
crosses breakdown voltage.
Due to the large base and collector region, the B-C junction capacitance is large which
affects its switching speed. Therefore they are not suitable for high-frequency
applications above 250kHz.

Performance Parameters
There are certain parameters that define the performance of the phototransistor. These
parameters must be kept in mind when choosing a phototransistor to provide cost-efficient
performance.
Collector current Ic: it is the maximum allowed load current (collector current). Exceeding
the load current amount this limit can permanently damage the phototransistor.
Base current: the base current indicates the current generated from the incident light. It
depends on the area of the base region. However, increasing the area of the base region
increases the capacitance the affects the switching speed.
Dark Current ID: it is the leakage current between collectorand emitter when there is no
light. It is very small in milliamps. Ideally, it is meant to conduct no current. But due to
temperature it never shut off completely. Dark current inversely affects the performance.
VCE breakdown voltage: it is the maximum voltage applied between the collector and
emitter. If the applied voltage exceeds the breakdown voltage, the device is permanently
damaged.
VEC breakdown voltage: it is the maximum allowed voltage applied between emitter and
collector. It is relatively very lower than VCE breakdown voltage.
Wavelength: Different photoconductive materials show different responses to a spectrum
of wavelengths. They show high sensitivity and conversion efficiency at a narrow range of
wavelengths. Therefore the wavelength of the incident light is very important to have
higher energy conversion.
Linearity: Linearity means how linearly the output current varies with change in light
intensity. Linear response is precise and error-free. Therefore it is necessary to know the
linearity of the device.
Sensitivity: Sensitivity is the ratio of the change in output current to the change in
intensity of incident light. To sense even small changes in light intensity, High sensitivity is
required. It improves the performance of the device.
Response Time: the response time determines how quickly the output current updates
with the change in incident light intensity. It is used to monitor sudden changes in intensity.
Rise and Fall Time: Rise time TR is the time it takes from 10% to 90% of its maximum
value while fall time TF is the time it takes from 90% to 10%. Small rise and fall time
determine quick response time.
Size and cost: The size and cost determines the economical value of the device. Low
cost and compact size make it.

Design Parameters
Homojunction Structure: in such a structure, the whole device is made of a single material.
such design is easy to fabricate and inexpensive. It allows a gain of 50 to several hundred.
Usually, it is made of silicon.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Phototransistors

Advantages
Here are the advantages of phototransistor

Phototransistor has higher sensitivity than a photodiode.

It has a high current gain, especially the heterojunction design.
It generates a large amount of current due to gain as compared to the photodiode.
 It has a fast response time and provides output instantaneously
It is sensitive to different wavelengths including infrared IR, ultraviolet UV, and visible
spectrum.
It operates quietly as compared to an avalanche photodiode.
It is highly reliable and stable.
It has a small size, simple design, and is inexpensive.
It is compact and can be fabricated several of them on sn IC.
It can sense various light sources such as sunlight, flame, incandescent bulb, lasers,
etc.

Disadvantages
Here are the disadvantages of phototransistor

It has a low switching speed due to high junction capacitance (large base-collector
area)
It cannot handle high voltages like other optoelectronic devices such
as thyristors and TRIAC.
Voltage surges and spikes can damage it.
It is not suitable for high-frequency applications like photodiode.
It cannot detect low-intensity light.
It is affected by electromagnetic energy.

Applications
A phototransistor is used for its high sensitivity and large current carrying capacity. Here
are some applications of the phototransistor.
Light sensing: They are widely used to detect light and measure the intensity of light.
Automatic light control: it can automatically control the light in street or on the highway.
it senses the sunrise and sunset and switches On or Off the connected lights on the circuit.
Object counter: it senses an object when it passes between it and a constant light
source. It triggers the connected circuit when the object interrupts the incident light.
Opto-coupler: it electrically isolates two circuits and optically connects them using light
pulses to protect low voltage circuits from high voltage circuits.
Punch card reader: it is widely used in punch card readers.
Shutter control: it controls the opening of the camera shutter based on the intensity of the
light falling on its lens.
Alarms: it is used in burglar alarms by detecting the presence of a person passing through
it. Fire alarm and smoke alarm also uses phototransistor.
Proximity sensor: it detects presence when something comes in its range such as in a
smartphone that turns off the screen when it’s near your ear.
Infrared Sensing: sensing IR at night time allow it to use as a night vision device.
Encoder
Optical remote control
Printer and photocopier etc.