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Bistable Optical Semiconductor Switching Based on C-Doped GaN

delete2026-03-06
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PRE
AI
S
Soroush Ghandiparsi
Q
Qinghui Shao
C
Caitlin A. Chapin
L
Laura Leos
J
Joseph D. Schneider
S
Samuel Wagner
S
S. F. Chapman
C
Clint D. Frye
J
Joel B. Varley
L
Lars F. Voss
DOI:10.1109/TED.2026.3668213delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
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<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\cdot $ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm/W<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\cdot $ </tex-math></inline-formula>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 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$293\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> (from 470 to 1.6 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula>s), increasing modulation bandwidth from 745 Hz to nearly 218 kHz. 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.
Keywords:
Carbon-dopped Gallium nitride (GaN:C)
deep level traps
high-speed power switching
persistent photoconductivity (PPC)
photoconductivity quenching

Journal

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices cover
IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
IF:
3.2
Papers:
685
Citations:
3.7W

Organization

L
lawrence livermore national laboratory
Scholars:
538
Papers: 207
Citations: 0