Reverse bias induces only little current (known as saturation or back current) along its direction. But a more important effect of reverse bias is widening of the depletion layer (therefore expanding the reaction volume) and strengthening the photocurrent. Circuits based on this effect are more sensitive to light than ones based on the photovoltaic effect and also tend to have lower capacitance, which improves the speed of their time response. On the other hand, the photovoltaic mode tends to exhibit less electronic noise.