Optically controlled GaAs MMIC switch using a MESFET as an optical detector

Author

Paolella, A. ; Madjar, A. ; Herczfeld, P.R. ; Sturzebecher, D.

Author_Institution

US Army Labcom, Fort Monmouth, NJ, USA

fYear

1990

fDate

8-10 May 1990

Firstpage

941

Abstract

The optical control of an MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) switch by a MESFET photodetector is presented along with a novel model of the illuminated MESFET, which serves as a tool to optimize the switch´s performance. The wavelength dependence of the response is emphasized, since it influences the relative contribution of the photovoltaic and photoconductive effects. A theoretical analysis accurately predicting the photocurrents in MESFETs operated in the pinched-off mode is presented. The analysis includes photovoltaic and photoconductive effects.<>

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; MMIC; Schottky gate field effect transistors; gallium arsenide; photodetectors; semiconductor device models; semiconductor switches; switching circuits; GaAs; MESFET photodetector; MMIC switch; illuminated MESFET; model; monolithic microwave integrated circuit; optical control; optical detector; photoconductive effects; photocurrents; photovoltaic effects; pinched-off mode; wavelength dependence; Gallium arsenide; Integrated circuit modeling; MESFET integrated circuits; MMICs; Optical control; Optical switches; Photoconductivity; Photovoltaic systems; Solar power generation; Switching circuits;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Microwave Symposium Digest, 1990., IEEE MTT-S International

Conference_Location

Dallas, TX

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/MWSYM.1990.99733

Filename

99733