Magnetized photoconductive semiconductor switch
US5808349A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 5, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 15, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 5, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10F30/00
Abstract
A strong magnetic field is applied to a photoconductive semiconductor switch to make the opening time of the switch independent of the recombination time of the photoionized semiconductor. As a result, the switch is capable of shaping current pulses with the fidelity of an illuminating optical pulse used to activate the switch. The strong magnetic field applied to the photoconductive semiconductor switch has a strength satisfying the relationship .mu.B>1, where .mu. is the mobility of the semiconductor (in m.sup.2 /Volt Sec) and B the magnetic field (in Tesla). Such a switch acts as an insulator (magnetic insulation) to an applied electric field except during the time that the light incident thereon generates electron-hole pairs. During that time, a polarization current, proportional to the externally induced pair production rate, flows and the magnetic insulation is broken. The minimal system response time is controlled by the gyrofrequency of the carriers. The response time is shorter than one picosecond for materials with small carrier effective mass and magnetic fields of one Tesla.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.