International Radiation Detectors, Inc.

HANDLING PRECAUTIONS

· Cleaning

Care should be taken not to breath sneeze or touch the photodiode active area (or window if so equipped). Foreign materials on the active area such as oil from hands can seriously affect the sensitivity of photodiodes especially in the ultraviolet range.

If the active area is contaminated, the surface can be cleaned by a wet acetone or ethyl alcohol dipped cotton swab. The swabbing action should be gentle without any pressure to avoid damaging the shallow junction of the photodiode. Be sure not to disturb the wire bonds (Fig. 1).

Some devices with directly deposited filters should not be cleaned with solvents (consult IRD before cleaning any filtered device).

· Soldering

Since photodiodes are subject to damage by excessive heat, care must be given to soldering temperature and dwell time. As a guide, metal package devices should be soldered at a maximum of 260 C within 10 seconds and ceramic package devices at 260 C within 5 seconds at 2 mm minimum distance from package base (Fig.2). Use acetone or alcohol to remove solder flux.

To avoid contamination of the active area, the protective window shipped with the photodiode should be left on during soldering.