InP Optoelectronic Switches And Their High-Speed Signal-Processiny Applications

Progress in the development oil high-speed InP optoelectronic switches is reported. Two approaches are investigated for decreasing recombination time: proton bombardment and raising the Fe concentration. The former is found to produce greater increases in speed than the latter but with greater decrease in sensitivity to light. Application of the device is reported in two areas: an RF mixer and a sample-and-hold switch. For mixer applications, the off-state capacitance and on-state linearity are measured. The 20 to 75 fF of capacitance is found to limit high-freuency performance and a third-order intercept of +20 dBm for 14 mW of laser power is comparable to conventional mixers. Sample-and-hold preliminary measurements indicate a need for an oft-resistaLce > 1 MΩ and an on-resistance of < 100 Ω.