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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Record performance in intrinsic, impurity-free lateral diamond photoconductive semiconductor switches

Photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) are fabricated on type IIa diamond substrates with varying boron and nitrogen impurity levels (<10 14 –10 16 cm –3 ). The photoresponse of lateral PCSS is reported over the incident laser wavelength range (212–240 nm), energy per pulse (5–65 μJ), and DC bias (–1.2 to +1.2 kV). The PCSS device with the lowest boron and nitrogen impurity concentration achieves the highest normalized responsivity of 9.1 × 10 –8 A-cm/W-V, peak photocurrent of 8.0 A, and on/off ratio of 2.3 × 10 11 at a DC bias of +1.2 kV with the potential for even higher currents at increased DC bias. All PCSS display fast rise times (<3 ns), limited by the laser's rise time. However, photoresponse measurements reveal that higher impurity levels reduce the photocurrent and decrease the on/off ratio. Furthermore, these results highlight the performance advantages of using low background concentration type IIa diamond substrates for PCSS fabrication and present a promising route toward advanced high-power, high-speed diamond-based switches.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Drivers for paralleled semiconductor switches

An apparatus includes a plurality of parallel-connected semiconductor switches (e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) or other wide-bandgap semiconductor switches) and a plurality of driver circuits having outputs configured to be coupled to control terminals of respective ones of the plurality of semiconductor switches and configured to drive the parallel-connected semiconductor switches responsive to a common switch state control signal. The driver circuits may have respective different power supplies, which may be adjustable. Respective output resistors may couple respective ones of the driver circuits to respective ones of the semiconductor switches. The output resistors may be adjustable.

Nojima, Geraldo↗
DOE OSTI2025

Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches: Materials, Physics, and Applications

Photoconductive semiconductor switching (PCSS) devices have unique characteristics to address the growing need for electrically isolated, optically gated, picosecond-scale jitter devices capable of operating at high voltage, current, and frequency. The state of the art in material selection, doping, triggering, and system integration in PCSSs is presented. The material properties and doping considerations of GaN, GaAs, SiC, diamond, and β-Ga2O3 in the fabrication of PCSS devices are discussed. A review of the current understanding of the physics of the high-gain mode known as lock-on is presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Fe-βGa 2 O 3 for Photoconductive Semiconductor Switching

We present iron-doped beta gallium oxide (Fe- β Ga2O3) as a candidate for photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) with sub-bandgap light. From a commercially available Fe- β Ga2O3 wafer, we first did material characterization. This included measurements of absorption coefficient and dopant composition, carrier activation energy up to 200 °C, break down field of planar electrodes (limited from material passivation), and free carrier recombination lifetime, and thermal effects up to 203 °C on photocurrent with a 447 nm light emitting diode (LED) source. Here, we then demonstrated pulsed operation of a Fe- β Ga2O3 PCSS under different sub-bandgap wavelengths (355, 532, and 1064 nm) and sub-ns pulses. Fe- β Ga2O3 is a candidate for high temperature PCSS with 355 nm responsivity of 7×10 -7 A-cm/W-kV at room temperature and up to 5.5×10 -4 A-cm/W-kV at 200 °C. From these investigations, we discuss a simple trap model to describe the illumination process of the PCSS. Fe- β Ga2O3 has a high breakdown field and has moderate responsivity characteristics, but the dark current at high temperature leads to low photo-to-dark current ratio (PDCR). Regardless, we verify its potential as a PCSS material for harsh environment applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of a reliable Potting process for Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches (PCSS)

Electrical potting is an important process to protect semiconductor devices from damaging external elements (mechanical stress, moisture, high voltage, etc.) and provides structural support for delicate devices for electrical connectivity to a larger platform. This internship will focus on the development of a universal potting jig for photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS). The goal is to design a reliable compression jig that is cross compatible with various PCSS designs that allow for easy potting of devices with a high dielectric breakdown strength material. The challenge with the current potting jig is that the design is only compatible with one style of PCSS and applies uneven pressure that can lead to leakage of potting material. Our approach is to move from a design that applies pressure by binder clip to utilizing a micrometer based compressing jig for a reliable packaging process that can pot a variety of devices without having to have a unique compressing jig for each of style of PCSS. Possible roadblocks with the new design include epoxy leakage into the optical path and misalignment of the electrode – metal contact bond.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

High Current Density Diamond Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches With a Buried, Metallic Conductive Channel

Laterally configured diamond photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) with a buried, metallic p+ current channel are reported. Above bandgap ( λ ≤ 226 nm) optical triggering enables responsivity of over 130 mA/W. The use of low-impurity semi-insulating diamond as an active absorption layer enables fast rise and fall times (~2 ns) and on/off ratios greater than 10 11 . The PCSS excited with a laser energy of 20 nJ per pulse passes a high current density (44 A/cm) under a DC bias of 60 V, thanks to the buried metallic p+ current channel. The reported devices promise high current carrying capacity without the need for filamenting while leveraging the excellent optical, electronic, and thermal properties of diamond.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integration of Ultrawide Bandgap Photoconducting Semiconductor Switches into High-Voltage, High-Current Pulser Systems

In this feasibility study we will evaluate the viability of integrating ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) photoconducting semiconductor switches (PCSS) in high-voltage pulser systems capable of driving low-impedance dynamic loads critical for next-generation accelerator and RF-source applications. The project consisted of developing modelling tools that would inform design of UWBG PCSS packages that could be mounted onto conventional circuit boards. Specifically, we are interested in evaluating the following through simulation software: (1) resistance to electrical breakdown (2) proximity effects due to high-frequency skin effect (3) transient behavior from switching (4) effective transmission of RF signals (5) thermal dynamics of the switch under operation (6) sensitivity to inhomogeneities in optical excitation of the material (7) cross-talk effects from parallel switching structures, and (8) susceptibility of system to damaged components. The project resulted in the development of a special-purpose circuit code that implements photoconductivity physics. This code was used to evaluate objectives 1-6 above, identifying a critical requirement associated with the need for fine control of dopant concentrations in the UWBG material to reach an optimal solution for voltage standoff and laser light responsivity requirements. In addition, we identified that the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of this material was typically not well-measured and developed a platform for measuring both the “dark” and “illuminated” conductivity on real physical switches in the lab to better inform our models.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Bistable Optical Semiconductor Switching Based on C-Doped GaN

Highly resistive gallium nitride (GaN) is an essential material for power optoelectronic applications. While carbon doping is widely used to achieve semi-insulating properties in GaN, the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) arising from deep-level defect traps remains a major obstacle for high-speed power switching. This study demonstrates a novel approach: leveraging the ultrahigh photoresponsivity of GaN:C (up to 2.1 A ⋅ cm/W ⋅ kV, surpassing alternatives such as GaN:Fe) and employing defect-selective optical control to effectively quench the PPC. By synchronizing a short infrared (1064 nm) quenching pulse with UV (385 nm) excitation in an epitaxially grown GaN:C layer on a heavily doped n-type GaN substrate, we achieve a dramatic reduction in photocurrent fall time by approximately 293× (from 470 to 1.6 μ s), increasing modulation bandwidth from 745 Hz to nearly 218 kHz. Here, this advancement not only establishes a new pathway for controlling PPC in GaN:C but also enables the practical integration of GaN:C in fast power switching devices. Enhanced modulation bandwidth, along with GaN:C excellent photoresponsivity, makes it a promising candidate for optically controlled high-voltage, high-power electronic systems, such as photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) used in pulsed-power drivers, high-power microwave (HPM) sources, and high-voltage gate drivers for wide bandgap (WBG) power electronics.

Carbon-dopped Gallium nitride (GaN:C)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Generation of nanosecond THz pulses using a high gain ring resonator with a semiconductor switch

A 250 GHz quasi-optical ring resonator consisting of an input coupler and three mirrors has been designed and tested. A low-loss silicon wafer in the ring provides output coupling of the stored power when irradiated by a pulse from a 532 nm laser. The ring created 5.8 ns, 268 mW output power pulses when excited by a 17 mW, 250 GHz continuously operating input source, achieving a power gain of 16. In a fully tuned ring, higher gain is achievable. If the ring was used with a pulsed input source having a pulse length of several times the fill time, the ring could be used as an efficient pulse compressor with similar high gain. The resonator has a wide range of applications, including, at low power, spectroscopy and, at high power, testing of accelerator structures and materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Pulse compression photoconductive semiconductor switches

A photoconductive switch that uses materials that support negative differential mobility, whose operation leverages the pulse compression of a charge could to generate the “on” time of the pulse in combination with the speed of light to generate the “off” time of the pulse, is described. In one example, a method of operating a photoconductive switch, which includes two electrodes and a light absorbing material positioned therebetween, includes selecting a value for one or more parameters comprising a voltage for generation of an electric field, a spot size of a laser pulse, a temporal pulse width of the laser pulse, or an intensity of the laser pulse, wherein the selected value(s) for the one or more parameters enable the switch to operate in a region where the light absorbing material exhibits negative differential mobility, and illuminating the light absorbing material with the laser pulse to generate a charge cloud within the light absorbing material.

Voss, Lars F.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Suppression of Parasitic Voltage Oscillation in Power Modules by Turn-Off Current Zero Placement

This paper presents a frequency-domain analysis of the turn-off equivalent switching network of a hard-switched semiconductor switching cell. This paper also proposes a novel method to suppress parasitic voltage ringing by placing the turn-off current zero at the parasitic resonant frequency. The turn-off current was decomposed into ramp functions and a constant-valued function to facilitate obtaining the frequency components of the turn-off current using the Laplace transform of standard signals. The proposed frequency-domain modeling of the parasitic voltage ringing and the suppression were validated by detailed circuit simulation using parameters corresponding to prior literature with experimental validation.

Galigekere, Veda Prakash↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dopant Optimization of Donors in Semiconductor Opening Switches to Eliminate Prepulse

Semiconductor opening switches are solid-state devices capable of delivering nanosecond, hundreds of kilovolts pulses by interrupting kiloamps of current. The interruption of the current occurs in a moderately doped p-region when a high electric field region (HFR) is formed. The HFR occurs because the reverse pumping current cannot be supported by the saturation velocity and majority carrier concentration of the doping level. However, the donor profile also significantly affects the pulse performance. A secondary prepulse occurs if a secondary HFR is formed at the interface of the background n-doping and N+ doping (X n ) . By moving the location of X n deeper into the diode, the effect of the prepulse is reduced. This article investigates the effect of the donor doping profile on the performance metrics of semiconductor opening switches through technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations and experimental results. Through a SILVACO TCAD optimization, we designed a P + /p/n - base/n/N + where the intersection of the moderate p-region and intrinsic n-base region (X p ) is at 160 μm and X n is at 220 μm. This profile is fabricated via silicon epitaxy. Experimentally, it is shown that a deep X n (220 μm) compared with a shallow X n (300 μm) reduces the rise time by >5× . In addition, the magnitude of current density during interruption affects the prepulse foot and pulse shape. At lower current densities without the graded donor profile, high peak voltages are not achieved. Comparing the experimental results to the TCAD simulations shows that the model is predictive under high-current densities in the semiconductor opening switch (SOS) regime.

nanosecond pulse power↗
DOE OSTI2022

Current source inverter with bi-directional switches

A switching circuit includes a diode, a semiconductor switch, and a first bidirectional switch. The semiconductor switch is configured to conduct a first current from a second terminal to a third terminal of the semiconductor switch when a first on-state signal is sent to a first terminal of the semiconductor switch. An anode of the diode is connected to the second terminal of the semiconductor switch, and a cathode of the diode is connected to the third terminal of the semiconductor switch. The first bidirectional switch includes a first terminal, a second terminal connected to the anode of the diode, and a third terminal and is configured to conduct a second current from the second terminal to the third terminal or from the third terminal to the second terminal when a second on-state signal is sent to the first terminal of the first bidirectional switch.

Dai, Hang↗
DOE OSTI2025

Testing of Novel Semiconductor Opening Switches Using Magnetic Switching

The performance of semiconductor opening switch (SOS) diodes with different doping profiles is assessed with the primary aim of enhancing or substituting hard-to-find devices. SOS devices are capable of providing long lifetime, gigawatt level pulses in generators with risetimes on the nanosecond scale with pulse widths on the order of 20 ns. An experimental testbed is described which allows for rapid testing of diodes with control of the forward pumping time which is a crucial parameter of SOS diodes. A saturable pulse transformer provides both the initial voltage multiplication and reverse current pulse required to drive SOS diodes. Voltage multiplication ratios of 16:1 were achieved with a modest charging voltage of 800 V and simple circuitry. With current densities of up to 1.4 kA ⋅ cm -2 , the testbed produces 10 kV output pulses into a 56 Ω load with a pulsewidth of 16 ns and delivered power of up to 1.9 MW. These novel devices are compared to legacy SOS diodes originating from Russia, with one of the profiles yielding increased performance. Finally, these profiles are studied in hopes of creating manufacturing demand to augment the availability of these useful devices.

drift step recovery diodes↗
DOE OSTI2022

A study on sub-bandgap photoexcitation in nitrogen- and boron-doped diamond with interdigitated device structure

Diamond is an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor suitable for high power devices that require high current carrying capacity, high blocking voltages, and smaller form factors. We investigated various diamond structures for extrinsic photoconductive semiconductor switches, including an insulating high-pressure high-temperature type Ib (highly nitrogen-doped) substrate, a chemical vapor deposited (CVD) type IIa (unintentionally doped) substrate, a CVD grown semiconducting boron-doped epilayer on a type IIa substrate, and boron-implanted type Ib and IIa substrates. Using these samples, we fabricated and characterized planar interdigitated photoconductive switches with 30 μm, electrode gaps. 532 and 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser pulses with energies up to 3.5 mJ/pulse were used to trigger the switches. Photoresponses were measured at bias voltages ranging from 10 to 100 V, corresponding to electric fields of 3.3–33 kV/cm. In this field range, the type Ib device exhibited the highest average on/off-state current ratio, on the order of 10 11 , when triggered with 0.8 mJ/pulse, 532 nm laser pulses. However, only the CVD grown boron-doped epilayer and boron implanted IIa devices showed decent sensitivity to 1064 nm.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ultrafast all-optical diffraction switching using semiconductor metasurfaces

Ultrafast all-optical switching using Mie resonant metasurfaces requires both on-demand tunability of the wavefront of the light and ultrafast time response. However, devising a switching mechanism that has a high contrast between its “on” and “off” states without compromising speed is challenging. Here, we report the design of a tunable Mie resonant metasurface that achieves this behavior. Our approach utilizes a diffractive array of semiconductor resonators that support both dipolar and quadrupolar Mie resonances. By balancing the strengths of the dipole and quadrupole resonances, we can suppress radiation into the first diffraction order, thus creating a clearly delineated “off”-state at the operating wavelength. Then, we use optical injection of free- carriers to spectrally shift the multipoles and rebalance the multipole strengths, thereby enabling radiation into the diffraction order—all on an ultrafast timescale. We demonstrate ultrafast off-to-on switching with I on /I off ≈ 5 modulation of the diffracted intensity and ultrafast on-to-off switching with Ion/Ioff ≈ 9 modulation. Furthermore, both switches exhibit a fast τ tr ≈ 2.7 ps relaxation time at 215 μJ cm -2 pump fluence. Further, we show that for higher fluences, the temporal response of the metasurface is governed by thermo-optic effects. This combination of multipole engineering with lattice diffraction opens design pathways for tunable metasurface-based integrated devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Gallium Arsenide Semiconductor Opening Switches: Enabling Nanosecond High Powering Pulsed Systems

The goal of this work awas to investigate design manufacturing semiconductor opening switches (SOS) in both silicon and gallium arsenide (GaAs). Solid-state opening switches are critical components for pulsed power systems and applications in directed energy, dielectric wall accelerators, and novel semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Under this funding, we have developed silicon SOS designs that suppresses an unwanted prepulse, increases the peak output voltage by about 10 percent, and reduces the pulse rise time by ~ 4x compared with more conventional profiles. Through this effort we have improved device fabrication and bonding techniques. Additionally, work on this the GaAs opening switch has defined a unique application space that these devices are suited for. GaAs opening switches have short risetimes and pulse widths compared to silicon devices, however the short carrier lifetime of GaAs makes the circuit design more challenging than in silicon. For high PRF operation, the lifetime of the GaAs is an advantage compared to silicon. TCAD simulations of GaAs devices have been used to optimize a GaAs profile. Additionally, we have designed pulsers with sub 50ns reserve pump times and tested GaAs COTs PIN diodes in them.

42 ENGINEERING↗