Design and operation influences regarding rise and fall time of a photoconductive microwave switch

This paper evaluates the effect switch design and control method have on the rise and fall time of a photoconductive microwave switch at 2GHz. The effects of switch dimensions, switch fabrication methods and light intensity of the control mechanism are investigated. Switch rise time is affected by switch dimension and optical illumination intensity. Switch fall time is dependent on passivation of the silicon - which is a fabrication step often used to improve the conductivity within photoconductive devices.