Electron-beam-activated zinc selenide and diamond switches

Karl H. Schoenbach, M. R. Kennedy, Ravindra P. Joshi, Ralf P. Brinkmann, Ping Tong Ho

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Zinc Selenide, in polycrystalline and single crystal form, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown diamond films were studied with respect to their application as materials for electron-beam activated switches. The hold-off fields of the three materials were found to exceed that of semi-insulating gallium arsenide by at least an order of magnitude. Highest hold-off fields for pulsed voltage operation were recorded for diamond at 1.8 MV/cm. The electron-beam induced conductance in the 1 mm thick single crystal zinc selenide switches reached values of 0.5 (approximately ega cm2)-1 with an electron-beam current density of 20 mA/cm2 at electron-energies of 150 keV. This corresponds to an electron-beam induced reduction of switch resistance from 108 approximately ega to 2 approximately ega per square centimeter. The dominant carrierloss mechanism in the single crystal zinc selenide switch was found to be direct recombination of electron-hole pairs. In this material, the current, after electron-beam turn-off, decays hyperbolically with 90% to 10% falltimes in the range of hundreds of nanoseconds. The electron-beam induced conductivity in CVD grown diamond films of 1 micrometer thickness is due to the subnanosecond carrier lifetime less than three orders lower than that of single crystal zinc selenide. Both materials, single crystal zinc selenide and diamond, showed a lock-on effect in current. For diamond it could be demonstrated, as before for gallium arsenide, that this effect can be suppressed by proper choice of contacts.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
PublisherPubl by Int Soc for Optical Engineering
Pages203-216
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)081940778X, 9780819407788
DOIs
StatePublished - 1992
EventOptically Activated Switching II - Los Angeles, CA, USA
Duration: Jan 20 1992Jan 21 1992

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume1632
ISSN (Print)0277-786X

Conference

ConferenceOptically Activated Switching II
CityLos Angeles, CA, USA
Period01/20/9201/21/92

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