Material Effects in Photoconductive Frozen Wave Generators

Abstract

Linear photo-conductive gallium arsenide (GaAs) fast closing switches for microwave applications, such as frozen wave pulse generation, are analyzed and compared to experimental measurements. Material effects in photo-conductive frozen wave generators fabricated in semiconductor-based microstrip transmission line are studied from three perspectives; frozen wave propagation in the line; the spacing between the switches in a frozen wave generator and their maximum number; and the switching behavior of the gap-switch itself, which is modeled as a lumped-element, modified Ebers-Moll equivalent circuit. The experimental transient behavior of hybrid gap-switches fabricated on semi-insulating GaAs with ohmic and non-ohmic contacts is compared with predicted performance. Picosecond laser pulses, doubled to 527 micron wavelength are used to excite linear photoconductivity in 75 micron gap switches mounted in a test fixture of 50 ohm microstrip lines on alumina.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA244140

Entities

People

  • J. B. Thaxter
  • Richard E. Bell
  • Robert M. O'connell

Organizations

  • Rome Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Band Gaps
  • Bandwidth
  • Charge Carriers
  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Electrons
  • Energy Bands
  • Equations
  • Frequency
  • Generators
  • Impedance
  • Laser Pulses
  • Materials
  • Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
  • Semiconductors
  • Transmission Lines
  • Wave Propagation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Microwave Engineering.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems
  • Space