Title :
An LPE grown InP based optothyristor for power switching applications
Author :
Lis, Robert J. ; Zhao, Jian H. ; Zhu, Long D. ; Illan, J. ; McAfee, Sigrid ; Burke, Terence ; Weiner, Maurice ; Buchwald, Walter R. ; Jones, Kenneth A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ, USA
fDate :
5/1/1994 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
This paper presents the results of a new InP based optothyristor for pulsed high power switching applications and compares them with a traditional InP photoconductive switch operating under similar conditions. The optothyristor utilized a semi-insulating InP wafer inserted between the two PN junctions in a conventional thyristor structure. We also determined the dynamic I-V characteristics and the di/dt turn-on parameter for this novel optothyristor. Using a 1.06 μm YAG laser to trigger the optothyristor, we have achieved a 1200 V (4.8×104 V/cm) hold-off voltage with a maximum current of 61 A. The current rise time for device turn-on was measured to be consistently under 12 ns, and a maximum di/dt of 1.4×1010 A/s was obtained
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; characteristics measurement; indium compounds; photoconducting devices; semiconductor epitaxial layers; semiconductor switches; thyristors; 12 ns; 1200 V; 61 A; InP; LPE; conventional thyristor structure; current rise time; device turn-on; di/dt turn-on parameter; dynamic I-V characteristics; hold-off voltage; optothyristor; power switching applications; semi-insulating InP wafer; Circuit testing; Fabrication; Gallium arsenide; Impedance; Indium phosphide; Photonic band gap; Photothyristors; Switches; Thyristors; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on
