Electrical and optical speed measurements on the silicon heterostructure switch

This paper examines transient effects in the silicon heterostructure switch caused by electrical and optical stimuli. The previous work by others is extended to include the effects of external load and input pulse width conditions. For electrical drive pulses, the turn-on time has three components, being (1) capacitive rise time, (2) turn-on delay time, and (3) feedback regenerative time, being typically 7.5 /spl mu/s, 3.3 /spl mu/s, and 50 /spl mu/s respectively. Optical switching is seen to be quite different in outcome compared to the electrical type. The results overall advance appreciation of the device's capabilities, and compare well with other investigations.<
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