Specific Features of the Injection Processes Dynamics in High-Power Laser Thyristor

A dynamic model of a laser thyristor based on a semiconductor heterostructure has been developed. The model takes into consideration for the first time the optically activated impact ionization in the space-charge region (SCR) and the nonlinear photogeneration of excess carriers in the base region, with the latter accounting for the threshold nature of the optical emission. It is shown that the maximum turn-ON rate of the laser thyristor is determined by the impact ionization rate in the SCR of the collector p-n junction, and the maximum current, by the rate of photogeneration of excess carriers in the base region. A satisfactory agreement between the calculated and experimental voltage and current waveforms is demonstrated.