Performance of a Novel Rear-Triggered 4H-SiC Photoconductive Semiconductor Switch

Radial lateral structure photoconductive switches are fabricated in this work via vanadium-doped 4H-SiC and high-purity 4H-SiC materials. The switches are triggered by 355- and 532-nm laser, and the performance of the switch is compared in the applied voltage range of 1–10 kV and laser energy range of 0.3–14 mJ. The experimental results show that the conduction current of the laser incident from the rear is larger. Simulations of the current density distribution of a 2-D cross section of the photoconductive switch provide theoretical support for this phenomenon. Additionally, the conduction current of the high-purity material is found to be higher than that of the vanadium-doped material under the same conditions.