The optical transducer convert light into electrical quantity. They are also called as photoelectric transducers. The optical transducer can be classified as photo emissive, photoconductive and photovoltaic transducers. The photo emissive devices operate on the principle that radiation falling on a cathode causes electrons to be emitted from the cathode surface.
The photoconductive devices operate on the principle that whenever a material is illuminated, its resistance changes. The photovoltaic cells generate an output voltage that is proportional to the radiation intensity. The radiation that is incident may be x-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet, infrared or visible light.
An optical transducer converts light rays into an electronic signal. The purpose of an optical transducer is to measure a physical quantity of light and, depending on the type of transducer, then translates it into a form that is readable by an integrated measuring device.
Optical transducer