[en] Performance of high-sensitive semiconductor photoreceivers in the wavelength range of 0.45-12 μm is investigated. The values of the threshold power of the photodiode and photoresistor receivers are comparable assuming that a hypothetic amplifier of the load resistance signal can be used. On account of the behaviour of the laser radiation propagation in the turbulence atmosphere the requirements for the heterodyne detection system are determined. The system sensitivity is shown to depend greatly on the receiving aperture parameters, diffractional beam parameters and atmospheric turbulence. The synchronous frequency re-tuning of the reference and transmitted radiation enables to conduct selective optical meteorological parameter measurements