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Two photon absorption in semi-insulating gallium arsenide photoconductive switch irradiated by a picosecond infrared laser

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2000

F. Lacassie ,
D. Kaplan ,
Th. De Saxce  and
P. Pignolet
F. Lacassie
Affiliation:
Société Alliage, 75005 Paris, France
D. Kaplan
Affiliation:
Société Alliage, 75005 Paris, France
Th. De Saxce
Affiliation:
Thomson Shorts systèmes SA, 92223 Bagneux, France
P. Pignolet*
Affiliation:
LGE, Université de Pau, 64000 Pau, France
*
pascal.pignolet@univ-pau.fr
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Abstract

We study gallium arsenide (GaAs) high voltage photoconductive switches triggered by a 30 ps neodymium: yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, i.e. using photons of energy smaller than the band gap. We measure optical absorption at Brewster incidence under optical pulse excitation and determine the extrinsic one photon and intrinsic two photon absorption coefficients. Analyzing the photoconductive resistance under different power densities of laser radiation, and using the absorption data, we demonstrate that only about 20% of the photons absorbed by the extrinsic process are converted into free electrons. We conclude that high efficiencies can only be obtained by using two photon absorption, which is feasible with ultrafast lasers and focussed beams.

Keywords

Type
Research Article
Information
The European Physical Journal - Applied Physics , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , September 2000 , pp. 189 - 195
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2000

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