Effect of illumination uniformity on GaAs photoconductive switches

The dynamic behavior of a GaAs photoconductive switch was studied with an electro-optic imaging system during the first 2 ns after optical illumination. The switch behavior changed as a function of the spatial distribution of the optical illumination. Symmetric and asymmetric illumination schemes were investigated experimentally with our electro-optic imaging system. The electric fields were significantly enhanced in the regions of low photo-carrier density. Approximately 1 ns after illumination the simple longitudinal variation of the electric field gave way to nonuniform transverse structure. The experimental results were modeled by treating the switch as an integral part of a transmission line consisting of discrete elements. The experimental results matched the predictions of the transmission-line model in terms of the electric-field enhancements and efficiency.<
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