Triggering GaAs lock-on switches with laser diode arrays

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Abstract
Laser diode arrays have been used to trigger GaAs Photoconducting Semiconductor Switches (PCSS) charged to voltages of up to 60 kV and conducting currents of 580 A. The driving forces behind the use of laser diode arrays are compactness elimination of complicated optics and the ability to run at high repetition rates. Laser diode arrays can trigger GaAs at high fields as the result of a new switching mode (lock-on) with very high carrier number gain. We have achieved switching of up to 10 MW in a 60 1 system with a pulse rise time of 500 ps. At 1. 2 MW we have achieved repetition rates of 1 kHz with switch rise time of 500 Ps for i0 shots. The laser diode array used for these experiments delivers a 166 W pulse. In a single shot mode we have switched 4 kA with a flash lamp pumped laser and 600 A with the 166 W array.

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