Semiconductor Materials for Ultrafast Photoswitches

• Authors: J. Coutaz
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper gives a review of semiconductor materials that are used to fabricate ultrafast photoswitches. The optoelectrical response of the switches is first described with simple models, from which the material requirements are deduced. The basic principles of the required material properties - ultrashort free carrier lifetime and high mobility, high dark resistivity, and high field breakdown - are explained. Then, the most popular ultrafast semiconductors are listed, together with their characteristics. A special emphasis is put on low-temperature grown GaAs. Finally, two applications of these ultrafast materials are presented, namely antennae for terahertz radiation and all-optical nonlinear devices.

Keywords

EN

85.60.-q; 85.60.Dw; 72.20.-i; 72.40.+w; 72.80.Ey; 42.65.Re

Discipline

• 85.60.Dw: Photodiodes; phototransistors; photoresistors
• 72.80.Ey: III-V and II-VI semiconductors
• 42.65.Re: Ultrafast processes; optical pulse generation and pulse compression(for ultrafast spectroscopy, see 78.47.J-; for ultrafast magnetization dynamics, see 75.78.Jp)
• 85.60.-q: Optoelectronic devices(see also 42.79.-e Optical elements, devices and systems)
• 72.20.-i: Conductivity phenomena in semiconductors and insulators(see also 66.70.-f Nonelectronic thermal conduction and heat-pulse propagation in solids; thermal waves)
• 72.40.+w: Photoconduction and photovoltaic effects

• Publisher: Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Acta Physica Polonica A
• Year: 2002
• Volume: 102
• Issue: 4-5
• Pages: 495-512

Dates

published

2002-10/11

received

2002-06-07

Contributors

author

J. Coutaz

• Laboratory of Microwaves and Characterization, LAHC - University of Savoie, 73 376 Le Bourget du Lac Cedex, France

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Identifiers

DOI

10.12693/APhysPolA.102.495