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Responsivity measures the input–output gain
Gain

In electronics, gain is a measure of the ability of a electrical network to increase the Power or amplitude of a Signal . It is usually defined as the mean ratio of the Signalling of a system to the Signalling of the same system....
 of a detector system. For a system that responds linear
Linear

The word linear comes from the Latin word linearis, which means created by lines.In mathematics, a linear map or function f is a function which satisfies the following two properties......
ly to its input, there is a unique responsivity. For nonlinear systems, the responsivity is the local slope (derivative).

In the specific case of a photodetector
Photodetector

Photosensors or photodetectors are sensors of light or other electromagnetic energy. There are several varieties:*optics detectors, which are mostly quantum devices in which an individual photon produces a discrete effect....
, responsivity measures the electrical output
Output

Output is the term denote either an exit or changes which exit a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the model ing, system design and system exploitation....
 per optical input
Input

Input is the term denote either an entrance or changes which are inserted into a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the model ing, system design and system exploitation....
. Many common photodetectors respond linearly as a function of the incident power.

Responsivity of a photodetector is usually expressed in ampere
Ampere

The ampere is the International System of Units unit of electric current. The ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, is an SI base unit, and is named after Andr?-Marie Amp?re, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism....
s per watt
WATT

WATT is a radio station broadcasting a News radio-Talk radio-Sports radio format. Licensed to Cadillac, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1945....
, or volt
Volt

The volt is the SI SI derived unit of electric potential difference or electromotive force, commonly known as voltage. It is named in honor of the Lombard physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery ....
s per watt, of incident radiant power
Radiant flux

In radiometry, radiant flux or radiant power is the measure of the total Power of electromagnetic radiation . The power may be the total emitted from a source, or the total landing on a particular surface....
.






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Responsivity measures the input–output gain
Gain

In electronics, gain is a measure of the ability of a electrical network to increase the Power or amplitude of a Signal . It is usually defined as the mean ratio of the Signalling of a system to the Signalling of the same system....
 of a detector system. For a system that responds linear
Linear

The word linear comes from the Latin word linearis, which means created by lines.In mathematics, a linear map or function f is a function which satisfies the following two properties......
ly to its input, there is a unique responsivity. For nonlinear systems, the responsivity is the local slope (derivative).

In the specific case of a photodetector
Photodetector

Photosensors or photodetectors are sensors of light or other electromagnetic energy. There are several varieties:*optics detectors, which are mostly quantum devices in which an individual photon produces a discrete effect....
, responsivity measures the electrical output
Output

Output is the term denote either an exit or changes which exit a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the model ing, system design and system exploitation....
 per optical input
Input

Input is the term denote either an entrance or changes which are inserted into a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the model ing, system design and system exploitation....
. Many common photodetectors respond linearly as a function of the incident power.

Responsivity of a photodetector is usually expressed in ampere
Ampere

The ampere is the International System of Units unit of electric current. The ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, is an SI base unit, and is named after Andr?-Marie Amp?re, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism....
s per watt
WATT

WATT is a radio station broadcasting a News radio-Talk radio-Sports radio format. Licensed to Cadillac, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1945....
, or volt
Volt

The volt is the SI SI derived unit of electric potential difference or electromotive force, commonly known as voltage. It is named in honor of the Lombard physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery ....
s per watt, of incident radiant power
Radiant flux

In radiometry, radiant flux or radiant power is the measure of the total Power of electromagnetic radiation . The power may be the total emitted from a source, or the total landing on a particular surface....
. Responsivity is a function of the wavelength
Wavelength

In physics, wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a propagating wave of a given frequency. It is commonly designated by the Greek language letter lambda ....
 of the incident radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
 and of the sensor properties, such as the bandgap of the material of which the photodetector is made.

The term responsivity is also used to summarize input–output relationship in non-electrical systems. For example, a neuroscientist may measure how neurons in the visual pathway respond to light. In this case, responsivity summarizes the change in the neural response per unit signal strength.

The responsivity in these applications can have a variety of units. The signal strength typically is controlled by varying either intensity (intensity-response function) or contrast (contrast-response function). The neural response measure depends on the part of the nervous system under study. For example, at the level of the retinal cones, the response might be in photocurrent. In the central nervous system the response is usually spikes per second. In functional neuroimaging, the response measure is usually BOLD contrast. The responsivity units reflect the relevant stimulus and physiological units.

When describing a specific part in which the mechanisms are well understood, such as an amplifier, the more common term is gain
Gain

In electronics, gain is a measure of the ability of a electrical network to increase the Power or amplitude of a Signal . It is usually defined as the mean ratio of the Signalling of a system to the Signalling of the same system....
.

Deprecated synonym sensitivity
Sensitivity (electronics)

The sensitivity of an electronic device, such as a communications system receiver, or detection device, such as a PIN diode, is the minimum magnitude of input Signalling required to produce a specified output signal having a specified signal-to-noise ratio, or other specified criteria....
. A system's sensitivity is the inverse of the stimulus level required to produce a threshold response, with the threshold typically chosen just above the noise level.

See also

  • Responsiveness
    Responsiveness

    The responsiveness of an interactive system describes how quickly it responds to user input . It is one of the criteria under the principle of robustness ....
    , a related concept from interaction design
    Interaction design

    Interaction Design is the discipline of defining the behavior of products and systems that a user can interact with. The practice typically centers around complex technology systems such as Computer software, Handheld devices, and other electronic devices....
     / HCI.