Electron-beam activated GaAs-switches
- Integrated Applied Physics Inc., Waltham, MS (United States)
- Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (United States). Physical Electronics Research Inst.
Electron-beam excitation allows the authors to modulate the conductance of wide-gap semi-insulating semiconductors over a wide range and to use them as variable resistors and as high power switches. The penetration depth of electrons, the electron range, was computed by means of a Monte-Carlo code. For electron energies of 30 keV, it is approximately 2 micrometers. In order to activate the switch material over a larger depth, the switch material, semi-insulating GaAs, was doped over a thickness corresponding to the electron range with zinc, which form shallow acceptors in GaAs. The Zn layers serves as an efficient source of cathodoluminescence, transforming the electron energy into photon energy and therefore converting the electron-beam activated switch into a photoconductive one. Experiments with 2 mm semi-insulating GaAs-switches with p-doped cathode layer have been performed where the electron beam was injected through one of the metal contacts which were placed on either face of the GaAs wafer. The 500 ns electron beam has electron energies of up to 30 keV and current densities of several A/cm{sup 2}. The results show that electron-beam controlled GaAs switches can be safely operated at switch voltages of several kV`s and current densities of 50 A/cm{sup 2} with low energy electron-beams as control elements.
- OSTI ID:
- 63099
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940604-; ISBN 0-7803-2006-9; TRN: IM9527%%150
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1994 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) international conference on plasma science, Santa Fe, NM (United States), 6-8 Jun 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of 1994 IEEE international conference on plasma science; PB: 252 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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