Open AccessRuby fluorescence-enabled ultralong lock-on time high-gain gallium arsenic photoconductive semiconductor switch
Author(s) -
Ju Hung Chao,
Wei Zhu,
Chang Jiang Chen,
Yun Goo Lee,
Annan Shang,
Shizhuo Yin,
Robert C. Hoffman
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
optics letters/optics index
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.524
H-Index - 272
eISSN - 1071-2763
pISSN - 0146-9592
DOI - 10.1364/ol.43.003929
Subject(s) - materials science , gallium , optoelectronics , semiconductor , optics , fluorescence , photoconductivity , high gain antenna , physics , metallurgy
We report a new type of photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS), consisting of a semi-insulating gallium arsenic (GaAs) substrate and a front-bonded ruby crystal. The 532 nm laser pulses from an Nd-YAG laser incident on the front surface of the ruby crystal. A portion of the laser pulse passes through the crystal and reaches the GaAs substrate, and the remaining portion of the laser pulse is absorbed by the ruby crystal. This results in the emission of 694 nm fluorescent light. Furthermore, a portion of emitted fluorescent light also reaches the GaAs substrate. The high-fluence 532 nm short laser pulse with a pulse width around several nanoseconds is used to trigger the PCSS entering the high-gain nonlinear mode, whereas the low-fluence long-lifetime (on the order of a millisecond) 694 nm fluorescent light is used to maintain the lock-on time. Thus, an ultralong lock-on time on the order of millisecond is achieved, which is 3 orders of magnitude longer than a typical lock-on time of high-gain GaAs PCSS.