Review of Visible Light Communication Receivers: Standardization, Modulation Techniques, Receiver Technologies, and Application Scenarios

Visible Light Communication (VLC) systems use light from the visible spectrum for safe, interference free, and efficient data transmission, thus providing a strong alternative or complementary technology to conventional radio communications. This work reviews VLC receivers, focusing on their standardization efforts, modulation techniques, receiver types and applications. Key standards regulating the interoperability and scalability of VLC technology at various communication layers were analyzed, including IEEE, ITU, and ETSI/IEC specifications. This study examines multiple modulation techniques, including on-off keying (OOK), Pulse Position Modulation (PPM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and Color Shift Keying (CSK), while highlighting their respective merits in achieving data efficiency, mitigating flickering effects, and optimizing spectrum utilization. Triage of receiver performance encompasses all its parameters such as response times, bandwidth, signal quality, error rates, and viewing angles with the consideration of different ambient illumination conditions and application specific requirements. The emerging receiver technologies, including micro-LED (detector modes) and advanced photodetectors, were examined based on their potential to overcome some of the disadvantages of low sensitivity, high power consumption, and interference from ambient light. The current trend in research considers hybrid wireless systems, artificial intelligence enhanced filtering, and machine learning driven signal processing as promising avenues of solutions, alongside the advanced development of next generation detectors. The development of VLC technology is expected to go hand in hand with 6G networks and IoT applications, thereby imparting further advantages in terms of network efficiency, security, and connectivity. This paper offers insight that are broad and deep enough to be helpful in the development of more sophisticated optical wireless communication systems by engineers and researchers.