Laser-triggered GaAs:Cr switch

A study was made of room-temperature operation of a GaAs:Cr switch with contacts formed on the side surfaces by alloying with indium in a hydrogen atmosphere at 400 °C. The gap betwen the contacts was 3–4 mm. The switch was illuminated with radiation from a self-mode-locked YAG laser at two wavelengths (0.53 and 1.06μ). Pulses of 1.5 kV amplitude and with a leading edge not exceeding 500 psec were generated when the triggering wavelength was 1.06 μ. For eifective operation of the switch the laser radiation with λ = 1.06 μ was preferable to the λ = 0.53 μ radiation.