High-power switching with picosecond precision

Up to 10 kV have been switched with Si and GaAs laser-activated switches. We show that in spite of the thermal instability shortcoming experienced in Si, quasi-dc bias operation can be utilized in a manner which relaxes stringent synchronization requirements. In the case of GaAs the thermal instability is less severe and up to 8 kV dc has been held off and efficiently switched. In both cases, a fast switching time of ∼40 ps is observed. This time is a combination of the laser pulse width, geometry bandwidth, and jitter time. Efficient switching action requires only a few tens of microjoules of laser energy. Electrical pulses ranging from subnanosecond to hundreds of nanoseconds duration have been readily generated.