Simulation, modeling, and experimental studies of high-gain gallium arsenide photoconductive switches for ultra-wideband applications

This paper describes recent results to better understand the physics of operation of high-gain photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs). Computer simulation is a viable tool in the study of the physics of device operation. Such a study of the PCSS will lead to a better understanding of the device mechanisms and may result in the diagnosis of problems and design of a better switch for ultra-wideband high power microwave (HPM) applications. We describe simulation results for a semi-insulating GaAs PCSS switch for testing ultra-wideband (UWB) radiation sources.