Microwave-biased photoconductive AM light detector

A resonant microwave cavity loaded with photoconducting material is considered. The change in the power reflected from the cavity is derived in terms of the cavity-coupling coefficient and an interaction parameter involving the photoconductor parameters and the incident light signal amplitude. The effects of cavity coupling and high-frequency roll-off due to the photoconductor response are discussed. Experimental evidence is presented which is in good agreement with the analysis.