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.

Automated summary

Radial lateral structure photoconductive switches fabricated using vanadium-doped 4H-SiC and high-purity 4H-SiC materials are studied in this work. The switches are triggered by 355 and 532 nm lasers, and their performance is compared under different applied voltages and laser energies. Experimental results demonstrate that the conduction current is larger when the laser is incident from the rear. Simulations of the current density distribution provide theoretical support for this phenomenon and indicate that the high-purity material has higher conduction current than the vanadium-doped material under the same conditions.