An ultraviolet nanosecond light pulse generator using a light emitting diode for test of photodetectors

An optical function pulse generator that emits (1) short pulse of 1 ns duration, (2) double pulse with variable time interval, and (3) square waveform pulse of variable width in nanosecond range is devised using an InGaN/AlGaN double heterostructure light emitting diode (LED). Although the LED emits a 450 nm (blue) light under conventional dc operation below 30 mA, 380 nm light due to the InGaN/AlGaN component appears when a current larger than 50 mA is applied. This phenomenon is used to realize a pulsed ultraviolet light source. Under large nanosecond current pulsing (peak current >1 A), an intense pulsed emission of 380 nm is obtained. Pulse waveform of the LED emission can be adjusted electrically by applying a shaped current to the LED. To evaluate the potential of the pulse generator as a test source of photodetectors, the response waveforms of photomultiplier tubes were measured.