title: A clarification of spectral characterization units for quantum detectors and emitters.
abstract: Methods of spectrally characterizing radiant energy are intercompared. For quantum devices the advantages of spectral characterizations in terms of quanta per second and energy per quanta are presented. These are expanded into the concepts of optical currents and voltages. A new terminology for a volt per quantum, a planck, is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, ElectronicsResearch Laboratory, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wunderman