4H‐SiC photoconductive semiconductor based ultra‐wideband microwave generation with MHz tunable repetition rate

Abstract

Use of the vanadium-compensated semi-insulating (VCSI) 4H-SiC photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS) for the generation of an ultra-wideband (UWB) microwave with MHz tunable re-frequency is demonstrated. To evaluate the impact of device architectures on performance, a 4H-SiC-based photoconductive semiconductor switch was manufactured and was evaluated using a laser cluster driver with a configurable optical pulse re-frequency. The 1.5 mm-thick 4H-SiC PCSS was found to operate with an electric field up to 20 kV and a photocurrent of 20.7 A. The fabricated ultra-wideband microwave system could generate ultrahigh repetition frequency pulses from 0.5 to 2.0 MHz. Simulation of the UWB antenna system was carried out to examine the radiation field. The peak radiation electric-field factor (rE) of a singleunit UWB microwave generation system can reach 17 kV.

Recent progress of parameter-adjustable high-power photonic microwave generation based on wide-bandgap photoconductive semiconductors

“…The technologies of planar electrode fabrication mainly include coating, lithography, etching, processing metal electrodes, stripping, and thinning. [60][61][62] .…”

A Method to Simulate Extrinsic Light Excitation of Vanadium-Compensated 6H-SiC

“…On the contrary, sub-bandgap light can penetrate deeper in SiC (in the range of millimeters or even centimeters), which allows working voltages to be increased to tens of kilovolts and photocurrent to be more uniformly distributed in the bulk of PCSS. Therefore, we study the 6H-SiC with sub-bandgap illumination to achieve higher power [4,[15][16][17]. Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulation of SiC helps us to understand the effects of its geometry, electrode design, doping concentration, as well as other factors on its electric field distribution, carrier transport, and transient photocurrent etc.…”