Higher

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Past Paper questions
1991 - 2001
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3.5 Optoelectronics
1991 Q37
A pupil wishes to record the number of hours of sunlight during a summer's day.
On a certain day in summer she sets up the following circuit.

She places the apparatus on a bench by the window so that sunlight fails on the sensor.
She adjusts R1 so that the relay switch closes and the timer operates.
Comment on her choice of sensor and why it may lead to in inaccurate record of the number of hours of
sunlight.

1994 Q36
(a) Materials may be classified as "conductors", "semiconductors" and "insulators".
Give an example of a material from each of these groups.
(b) An electronics textbook states that
“........ n-type semiconductor material is formed by doping a pure semiconductor with impurity
atoms. "
What is meant by the term "n-type" semiconductor material?

1997 Q37
The diagram shows a photodiode connected to a voltmeter.
A lamp is used to shine light onto the photodiode.

The reading on the voltmeter is 0.5 V.

The lamp is now moved closer to the photodiode.
Using the terms photons, electrons and holes, explain why the voltmeter reading changes.
1998 Q36
The diagram shows a simplified view of a gas laser.

Laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

(a) Explain what is meant by stimulated emission of radiation.
(b) State two ways in which the incident radiation and the radiation it stimulates are similar.

2001 Q36
A p-n junction photodiode is connected to a cell and a resistor in the circuit shown below.

(a) In what mode is the photodiode operating?

(b) Describe the effect that incident photons of light have on the photodiode.

1991 Q11
The power for a space probe is produced by an array of photodiodes.
Each photodiode in the array acts as a photovoltaic cell.
Under certain conditions the power output of the array is 150 W at 34 V.
(a) Calculate the current produced by the array.
(b) Explain how a photovoltaic cell can produce a small voltage.
(c) What happens to the irradiance of the solar radiation falling on the array if the probe
moves to a position twice as far from the Sun?
Justify your answer.
1992 Q9
The diagram shows a simplified view of a laser tube used in a gas laser.

(a) The name LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
(i) What is meant by "stimulated emission"?
(ii) Explain the purpose of each mirror in the laser tube.
(b) In the experiment shown below, a laser beam is directed at a diffraction grating.

A pattern of bright spots is observed on the screen.

Explain, in terms of the wave nature of light, how this pattern is formed.
(c) The laser is marked with the warning "DANGER: EYE HAZARD".
Why does this laser, which has a power output of only 0.20 mW, present a greater
potential eye hazard than a 100 W lamp?
(d) In hospitals, pulsed lasers may be used to repair damage to the retina of the eye.
The specification of a typical pulsed laser is given below:

gas used in laser argon

duration of pulse 0.50 ms
energy of one pulse 0.10 J
wavelengths of laser light emitted 488 and 514 nm.

The cross-sectional area of the laser beam at the retina is 1.5x10-9 m2.
Calculate the light irradiance produced at the retina during a pulse of light from this laser.
1993 Q10
The circuit below shows a photodiode connected in series with a resistor and an ammeter.
The power supply has an output voltage of 5 V and negligible internal resistance.

In a darkened room, there is no current in the circuit.

When light strikes the photodiode, there is a current in the circuit.
(a) Describe the effect of light on the material of which the photodiode is made.
(b) In which mode is the photodiode operating?
(c) When the photodiode is placed 1.0 m from a small lamp, the current in the circuit is 3.0 µA
What is the current in the circuit when the photodiode is placed 75 cm from the same lamp?

1995 Q10
(a) The diagram below represents the p-n junction of a light emitting diode (LED).

(i) Draw a diagram showing the above p-n junction connected to a battery so that the junction is
forward biased.
(ii) When the junction is forward biased, there is a current in the diode.
Describe the movement of the charge carriers which produces this current.
(iii) Describe how the charge carriers in the light emitting diode enable light to be produced.
(b) The following graph shows the variation of current with voltage for a diode when it is forward
biased.

(i) What is the minimum voltage required for this diode to conduct?
(ii) What happens to the resistance of the diode as the voltage is increased above this minimum value?
Use information from the graph to justify your answer.
1996 Q9
(a) The word Laser is an acronym for "light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation".

Describe what is meant by "stimulated emission" and describe how amplification is

produced in a laser
(b) Infrared radiation from a laser is directed at a small solid cylinder of copper as shown below.
The cylinder has a cross sectional area of 1.25x10-5 m2.
The irradiance of the laser beam at the surface of the cylinder is 4.00x105 Wm-2.

(i) Show that the energy delivered to the cylinder in 100 seconds is 500 J.
(ii) The cylinder has a mass of 1.12x10-3 kg and the initial temperature of the cylinder is 293 K.
Using information from the Data Sheet, show by calculation whether or not the 500 J of
energy is sufficient to raise the temperature of the copper cylinder to its melting point.
[Data:
1999 Q11

(a) A sample of pure semiconductor material has a small amount of impurity atoms added to form a p-type
semiconductor.
(i) What is this process called?
(ii) How does the addition of the impurity atoms affect the resistance of the material?

(b) A p-n junction is used as a photodiode and a voltage is applied across it as shown below.

(i) In what mode is the photodiode operating?

(ii) The irradiance of the light at the junction of the photodiode increases.
Describe and explain what happens to the current in the circuit.

(c) The sensitivity of a certain photodiode is greatest when each incident photon has an energy
of 2.3x10-19 J. Calculate the wavelength of these photons.
2000 Q9
(a) The diagram below represents two of the energy levels in an atom.

A photon of light is incident on this atom.

(i) Stimulated emission of radiation occurs between the two energy levels shown.
What is the energy in Joules of the incident photon?
(ii) Explain what is meant by stimulated emission of radiation.
You may use a diagram to help with your explanation.
(b) A laser has a mirror at each end of the laser tube as shown in the diagram below.

(i) Explain how the mirrors help to amplify the laser light.
(ii) In what way does mirror Y differ from mirror X?
(c) The rating plate on a laser is shown below.

(i) Calculate the energy of a photon in the beam from this laser.
(ii) Calculate the number of photons leaving the laser in one second.
2000 Q11
(a) A photodiode is made by combining p-type semiconductor material with n-type semiconductor
material.
(i) Name a semiconductor material.
(ii) What is meant by the term "p-type" semiconductor material?
(b) A photodiode is connected to a voltmeter as shown in the following diagram.

(i) In what mode is the photodiode operating?

(ii) Explain why there is a voltage across the p-n junction when light falls on the photodiode.
(iii) The irradiance of light incident on the photodiode increases.
Explain why the voltage across the photodiode increases.
(c) Satellites use solar cells facing the Sun to provide power for onboard electrical equipment.

The solar cells of a satellite orbiting the Earth produce 700 W from the Sun's rays.
An identical satellite orbits Mars.
The diagram below shows the distances of each satellite from the Sun.
(The diagram is not drawn to scale.)

Calculate the power produced from the Sun's rays by the solar cells on the satellite orbiting Mars.