A high-voltage optoelectronic GaAs static induction transistor

Experimental realization of an optically activated, high-voltage GaAs static induction transistor (SIT) is reported. In the forward blocking state, the breakdown voltage of the device was ~200 V, while in the conduction state, on-state current densities exceeding 150 A/cm² were obtained. In the floating-gate configurations (gate open), the specific on-resistance of the device was ~50 mΩ-cm². Optical modulation of the device was achieved using a compact semiconductor laser array as the triggering source. In this mode, a gate-coupled RC network was implemented, resulting in an average switching energy gain (load energy/optical energy) of ~30. This mode of operation is applicable to series-coupled devices for pulsed switching at higher power levels     

Design of MOS-gated bipolar transistors with integral antiparalleldiode

This paper discusses the design of a new power switching device with integral antiparallel diode called MOS gated bipolar transistor (MGBT). The upper region of the MGBT device structure is conductivity-modulated by a positive feedback mechanism to give a lower on-state voltage drop as compared to a power MOSFET while having fast switching and fully MOS-gate controlled characteristics. A comprehensive model for the MGBT is developed and simple analytical equations are used to predict the on-state characteristics of the MGBT. The analytical modeling results are in good agreement with experimental results on fabricated 750 V MGBT devices. The experimentally measured characteristics of the integral antiparallel diode in the MGBT are reported for the first time in this paper     

5-Gb/s XOR optical gate based on cross-polarization modulation insemiconductor optical amplifiers

We demonstrate a new design for a XOR optical gate operating in the GHz regime using the cross-polarization modulation effect in a semiconductor optical amplifier. Dynamic and optically controlled polarization rotation in the devices is used to control the output power of the device. Static extinction ratio of the order of 20 dB can be obtained. Bit rate doubling at rate of 1.2 and 2.5 Gb/s have been demonstrated     

Vertical-cavity amplifying modulator at 1.3 μm

The modulation/switching properties of a vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier operating at 1.3 μm wavelength are investigated. The device was optically pumped and operated in reflection mode. A 150-mV (100 mA) modulation of the drive to the pump source produced a 7-dB modulation of the pump power, which produced a 35-dB modulation in the output signal. The maximum extinction ratio was 35 dB, and limited by device heating. Frequency response measurements revealed a modulation bandwidth of 1.8 GHz when the amplifier was saturated. This enabled 2.5-Gb/s modulation of a -10 dBm input signal with 5.5-dB fiber-to-fiber gain     

Tunable 4/spl times/10 GHz optically modelocked semiconductor fibre laser

A wavelength-tunable 4/spl times/10 GHz optically modelocked semiconductor fibre ring laser is demonstrated. A semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is used as a gain medium and optically controlled mode-locking element, in addition to four superimposed linearly chirped fibre Bragg gratings to provide tunable, multi-wavelength operation. The four wavelengths can be tuned simultaneously with constant wavelength separation by changing the modulation frequency.     

STOLAS: switching technologies for optically labeled signals

GMPLS-based labeled optical burst switching (LOBS) networks are being considered as the next-generation optical Internet. GMPLS includes wavelength switching next to label and fiber (space) switching. We present a new concept of optically labeling bursts of packets suitable for LOBS networks supported by GMPLS. It is based on angle modulation, which enables control information to modulate the phase or frequency of the optical carrier, while payload data are transmitted via intensity modulation (IM). In particular, the optical label is orthogonally modulated, with respect to the payload, using either frequency shift keying or differential phase shift keying. We present a performance analysis of the modulation schemes by means of simulations where the influence of the payload IM extinction ratio and laser linewidth are investigated. In addition, the transmission performance of an IM/FSK combined modulated signal is experimentally validated at 10 Gb/s, demonstrating at the same time an FSK label swapping operation. Finally, a suitable optical label-controlled switch design is proposed that takes advantage of these novel labeling techniques, and efficiently combines widely tunable, fast switching lasers and SOA-MZI wavelength converters with an arrayed waveguide grating router.     

All-optical phase modulation in a traveling wave semiconductorlaser amplifier

A novel all-optical phase modulation and wavelength conversion has been demonstrated in a traveling wave semiconductor laser amplifier. Even though the optical gain modulation caused by the saturation effect in a traveling wave semiconductor laser amplifier is sensitive to the signal wavelength, the optically controlled phase modulation is relatively independent of the signal wavelength     

Optical drive requirements for laser-activated semiconductor switches

Laser-activated semiconductor switch (LASS) devices of the thyristor type exhibit three regimes of operation. At low optical drive, optical triggering is obtained with delay time before conduction and relatively low current rise rates. At intermediate drive levels, fast switching is obtained with no appreciable delay time and fast current rise rates (greater than 10⁹A/s) but with substantial power lost in the switch element. At higher optical drives, saturated switching is observed with the rise rate and power loss relatively independent of the optical drive level. LASS thyristors of 1- and 4-kV operating voltage ratings have been characterized in the lossy fast switching regime. For pulses of 100-ns duration, the devices act as resistive elements. The magnitude of the resistance varies inversely with the optical drive, and can be understood as conductivity modulation of the conduction path by the photogenerated carriers. Such characterization allows switch system design tradeoff between the required optical drive level and the tolerable power loss in the switch elements.     

Impact of the gate driver voltage on temperature sensitive electrical parameters for condition monitoring of SiC power MOSFETs

Condition monitoring using temperature sensitive electrical parameters (TSEPs) is widely recognized as an enabler for health management of power modules. The on-state resistance/forward voltage of MOSFETs, IGBTs and diodes has already been identified as TSEPs by several researchers. However, for SiC MOSFETs, the temperature sensitivity of on-state voltage/resistance varies depending on the device and is generally not as high as in silicon devices. Recently the turn-on current switching rate has been identified as a TSEP in SiC MOSFETs, but its temperature sensitivity was shown to be significantly affected by the gate resistance. Hence, an important consideration regarding the use of TSEPs for health monitoring is how the gate driver can be used for improving the temperature sensitivity of determined electrical parameters and implementing more effective condition monitoring strategies. This paper characterizes the impact of the gate driver voltage on the temperature sensitivity of the on-state resistance and current switching rate of SiC power MOSFETs. It is shown that the temperature sensitivity of the switching rate in SiC MOSFETs increases if the devices are driven at lower gate voltages. It is also shown, that depending on the SiC MOSFET technology, reducing the gate drive voltage can increase the temperature sensitivity of the on-state resistance. Hence, using an intelligent gate driver with the capability of customizing occasional switching pulses for junction temperature sensing using TSEPs, it would be possible to implement condition monitoring more effectively for SiC power devices.     

Infrared photoconductivity via deep copper acceptors insilicon-doped, copper-compensated gallium arsenide photoconductiveswitches

Silicon-doped, copper-compensated, semi-insulated gallium arsenide of various doping parameters was studied with respect to infrared photoconductivity. This material is used as a photoconductive switch, the bistable optically controlled semiconductor switch (BOSS). One limitation was the relatively low conductivity of the device during the on-state. Typically, silicon-doped gallium arsenide is converted to semi-insulating gallium arsenide by the thermal diffusion of copper into the GaAs:Si. It is shown that variation of the diffusion parameters can improve the on-state conductivity by the enhancement of the concentration of a copper center known as Cu_B. The conductivity of the device 150 ns after irradiation from a 20-ns FWHM laser pulse (λ=1.1 μm) is recorded for various incident energies. This on-state conductivity saturates at a value that is predicted by the densities of the copper levels and the mobility     

Improvement of the input power dynamic range for wavelengthconverters based on cross-gain modulation employing a probe powercontrol loop

A technique for improving the input power dynamic range of wavelength converters based on cross-gain modulation in a semiconductor optical amplifier is presented. By experimentally investigating the effect of pump and probe powers on the operating performance in terms of power penalty for a conventional wavelength converter, we show that the optimal performance depends on the ratio of pump and probe powers coupled into the semiconductor optical amplifier in a certain input power range. Based upon the experimental result, a wavelength converter with a wide dynamic range has been proposed, in which the probe power is automatically adjusted to have the power proportional to the pump power. We show that a dynamic range of >20 dB is achievable for a 2.5 Gbit/s signal at a 2-dB penalty     

Switching power reduction using a pumped nonlinear directional coupler

We show that in a nonlinear directional coupler (NLDC) in which the signal is controlled by a pump of appropriate and different wavelength, the power needed for full switching is 3 times lower than for the same device used as a self switch. This power requirement is only /spl radic/3 times higher than for a Mach-Zehnder switch, which makes the NLDC even more appealing for practical multiplexing and switching applications.     

SiC肖特基栅JFET功率特性的研究

提出了一种新型结构的SiC结型场效应晶体管,采用肖特基接触替代P+型栅区,以降低SiC JFET的工艺复杂度,并提高器件的功率特性。建立了器件的数值模型,对不同材料和结构参数下的功率特性进行了仿真。结果表明,与PN结栅相比,肖特基栅结构可以有效降低SiC JFET的开态电阻;与常规结构的双极模式SiC JFET相比,在SiC肖特基栅JFET的栅极正偏注入载流子,同样可以有效降低器件的开态电阻,折中器件的正反向特性,但不会延长开关时间。     

Semiconductor laser diode optical amplifiers/gates in photonicpacket switching

In this paper, we will describe how semiconductor laser diode optical amplifiers/gates can be used in the photonic packet switching systems based on wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) techniques. First, we show that cross-gain modulation (XGM) can be suppressed when the device is used in the transparent condition of the waveguide material even when the input signal power exceeds +18 dBm. We then discuss an appropriate encoding for the optical signal. Experimental results show that high bit rate Manchester-encoding enables the use of semiconductor laser diode optical amplifiers/gates in the gain condition as well as the transparent condition. Finally, a new photonic packet receiver which utilizes a semiconductor laser diode optical amplifier as a packet power equalizer is proposed. This receiver accepts 17 dB power fluctuation at nanosecond speed for 10 Gb/s Manchester-encoded signal     

Reliability issues of GaN based high voltage power devices

GaN based power devices for high efficiency switching applications in modern power electronics are rapidly moving into the focus of world wide research and development activities. Due to their unique material properties GaN power devices are distinguished by featuring high breakdown voltages, low on-state resistances and fast switching properties at the same time. Finally, these properties are the consequences of extremely high field and current densities that are possible per unit device volume or area. Therefore, in order to obtain very high performance, the material itself is stressed significantly during standard device operation and any imperfection may lead to wear out and reliability problems. Thus material quality, the specific epitaxial design as well as the device topology will directly influence device performance, reliability and mode of degradation. The paper will mainly discuss those degradation mechanisms that are especially due to the specific material combinations used in GaN based high voltage device technology such as epitaxial layer design, chip metallization, passivation schemes and general device topology and layout. It will then discuss technological ways towards engineering reliability into these devices. Generally, device designs are required that effectively minimize high field regions in the internal device or shift them towards less critical locations. Furthermore, an optimized thermal design in combination with suitable chip mounting technologies is required to enable maximum device performance.     

Four-wave mixing and optical modulation in a semiconductor laser

There is a direct connection between nearly degenerate four-wave mixing in a semiconductor laser and optical modulation in the laser field. It can be understood using a model of an unlocked, optically injected laser, which emphasizes the effect of the laser resonator on the optical interactions. This model correctly describes the observed spectral characteristics and their dependence on the intrinsic parameters of the semiconductor laser. This is used to develop a simple and accurate technique using a single experimental setup for the parasitic-free characterization of the intrinsic laser parameters, including the relaxation resonance frequency, the total relaxation rate, the nonlinear relaxation rate, and the linewidth enhancement factor. Other parameters, such as the spontaneous carrier lifetime, the photon lifetime, the differential and nonlinear gain parameters, and the K factor, are determined from the power dependencies of these parameters. This technique requires only two CW lasers closely matched in wavelength and is applicable to semiconductor lasers of any wavelength and any dynamic bandwidth     

基于FBG-ECL的波长转换器消光比特性的研究

作为自动交换光网络中的核心器件,全光波长转换器将在全光通信系统中发挥重要作用.根据光纤光栅外腔半导体激光器(FBG-ECL)实现波长转换的理论模型,重点研究了该波长转换器消光比特性,分析了工作电流、输入信号光功率、波长间隔对消光比的影响,并利用自行搭建的基于FBG-ECL实现波长转换的实验平台进行了实验分析,发现理论分析结果和实验数据是吻合的.这对于优化基于半导体激光器的全光波长转换器有重要参考价值.     

High breakdown Voltage undoped AlGaN-GaN power HEMT on sapphire substrate and its demonstration for DC-DC converter application

Undoped AlGaN-GaN power high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on sapphire substrate with 470-V breakdown voltage were fabricated and demonstrated as a main switching device for a high-voltage dc-dc converter. The fabricated power HEMT realized a high breakdown voltage with a field plate structure and a low on-state resistance of 3.9 m/spl Omega//spl middot/cm/sup 2/, which is 10 /spl times/ lower than that of conventional Si MOSFETs. The dc-dc converter operation of a down chopper circuit was demonstrated using the fabricated device at the input voltage of 300 V. These results show the promising possibilities of the AlGaN-GaN power HEMTs on sapphire substrate for future switching power devices.     

A large-area power MOSFET designed for low conduction losses

A new power MOSFET has been fabricated that conducts 75 A with an on-state resistance of 0.012 Ω and blocks 60 V. The device may be used as a low-loss synchronous rectifier in efficient high-frequency power supplies or as a high-current power switch in applications such as emitter switching. The device design criteria include obtaining the largest possible fraction of the ideal blocking voltage and obtaining the minimum on-State resistance. Efficient utilization of the device area requires smaller feature size and shallower junction depths for low-voltage power MOSFET's than for high-voltage ones. The device reported on is 300 mils on a side and contains over 60 000 MOSFET cells in parallel. It has a gate width of more than 4 m. This device is larger and more complex than any previously reported power MOSFET. It provides an example of how power device processing techniques are approaching those of LSI circuit technology.     

Performance Optimization of a Reconfigurable Waveguide Digital Optical Switch on InGaAsP–InP: Design, Material, and Carrier Dynamics

The design and performance of an InGaAsP-InP 1 times 2 reconfigurable waveguide digital optical switch (RW-DOS) actuated by carrier-induced refractive index modulation is described. Using a device model based on the two-dimensional beam propagation method, we present an analysis of the role of material bandgap, carrier lifetime, and waveguide design on the switch performance. The model results are compared with experimental measurements of carrier-induced index change and switching performance for RW-DOS devices and test structures fabricated in InGaAsP alloys with waveguide core compositions of Q = 1.2, Q = 1.3, and Q = 1.4 mum. We discuss compromises between power consumption, switching speed, and propagation loss. The optimized InGaAsP-InP devices exhibited better than 25-dB switching contrast ratio and require less than 20-mA drive current.