Photoelectron switching in semiconductors in the picosecond time domain
US4431914A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 27, 1981 |
| Grant date | Feb 14, 1984 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 2001 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K17/78
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Picosecond switching of electric current in response to optical signals is obtained by conversion of the optical signal, such as an optical pulse, into a photoelectron burst (a photoelectronic signal) which is a faithful temporal replica of the optical signal. Electron optics increase the energy of the electrons of the photoelectronic signal which is imaged so as to illuminate essentially the entire gap formed between electrodes on a body of semiconductor material. The photoelectrons are absorbed in the semiconductor material to create throughout the gap a degenerate layer. The gap geometry and the image formed by the optical signal on a photocathode, which provides the photoelectronic signal, are such that space charge effects do not distort the photoelectronic signal and a temporal replica of the optical signal illuminates the entire gap. The gap geometry affords broad bandwidth operation. Due to the gain in the system, the high photoelectron energy obtainable after electron acceleration permits the use of large band gap semiconductor materials which have high dielectric strength and are not prone to thermal breakdown effects. By deflecting the photoelectrons across a plurality o…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.