Fabrication of a photoconductive switch for a slass E amplifier

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] A gallium arsenide-based photoconductive switch is a simple, fast alternative to many photodetectors available today. Using such as switch within a Class E power amplifier, however, highlights some drawbacks of a single switch, such as operating voltage. A novel approach was taken to add additional photoconductive switches to a single device by adding heavily doped N-type layers between intrinsic layers. A fabrication process for this device was also developed and improved over the course of the project. However, the built-in voltage of a single device was greatly reduced in this structure, and the assumed cause of it is from punchthrough breakdown. The rectifying contacts may also have been affected by gold diffusing into gallium arsenide by contact annealing. In the future, the fabrication process could be used to develop possible heterostructure photoconductive devices or other types of photodetectors.