Abstract

We describe a method of producing robust silicon photconductive switches. These switches are used in high power applications where it is necessary to switch high voltages on the picosecond time scale. They have the advantage that they are activated by the bulk absorption of light in a semiconductor.¹ Thus avalanching and transit time effects normally associated with high voltage switches are absent. As a result the switches have no jitter with respect to the optical pulse and very little heating due to the joule energy deposited in the switch as they turn on.² These qualities make these switches desirable in applications which require parallelism or low thermal energy deposited in the switch. However, photoconductive switches cannot be used in practical applications until they can be proven reliable.

© 1987 Optical Society of America