Photo IC Replacement for Photo-conductive (CdS) Cells

06 February 2009

Hamamatsu Photonics introduce a new linear output Photo IC, the S10604 to replace traditional CdS photoconductive cells (also known as LDRs).

They have been used for many years in visible light sensor products. The use of cadmium in electronic equipment is now restricted under European RoHS legislation, so the alternative S10604 photo IC is fabricated from silicon and is fully compliant with all RoHS regulations. With a spectral sensitivity similar to the human eye and with internal electronics amplifying the photocurrent signal by approximately 1000 times, the S10604 provides an ideal replacement for the old CdS technology in all visible light monitoring applications. The excellent linearity and low output fluctuation with temperature of this new photo IC technology mean that its performance far surpasses that of the older photoconductive cells. The S10604 is supplied mounted on a brand new miniature surface mount package, just 2 mm x 1.25 mm x 0.8 mm in size, making it ideal for use in any portable equipment, or other applications where space is at a premium. The S10604 series are ideal for applications such as energy saving sensors for televisions and monitors, light dimmers for liquid crystal panels, office and industrial lighting control, automatic contrast control functions as well as a wide variety of general light level measurement applications.

Released By

Hamamatsu Photonics UK Ltd