High-speed InP optoelectronic switch with a tandem structure

Abstract

A tandem-structure InP-optoelectronic switch has been fabricated and studied. This optoelectronic switch is capable of generating short electrical pulses, as well as varying the duration of electrical pulses between 40 and 400 ps (full width at half-maximum). The duration of the electrical pulses and the shortest pulse limit of the new switch are analyzed using a simple electrical model, and good agreement with experimental results has been obtained. The results indicate that the tandem-structure, optoelectronic switch can produce electrical pulses as short as the rise time of a single-structure switch, which is determined only by the electrical circuit time constant of the parallel switch capacitance and transmission line impedance.