Laser Components now distributes a range of position sensing detectors from SiTek, available with an evaluation board to simplify the work of position measurement. The SPC electronics feature four individual transimpedance preamplifiers (two each for both X and Y axes) as well as sum and difference amplifiers for each direction. The PSD currents are converted to bipolar voltages, which represent the position and intensity of the centre of the beam on the sensitive surface of the PSD.
According to Laser Components, position sensing detectors have the advantage of higher resolution and speed when compared to CCDs and CMOS detectors. The inexpensive signal processing circuits are available in a compact design together with different one and two-dimensional silicon PSDs. The evaluation board makes the handling of PSDs easier; the detector, mounted on a small PCB, can be fixed to an optical bench, and all incoming and outgoing signals are connected with a 14 pol connector.