A high-speed quasi-optical wave phase switch based on the induced photoconductivity effect in silicon

A new microwave switch is proposed, in which the active element represents a metal reflector with a semiconductor plate on a mirror surface. The wave beam phase switching is ensured by a conducting layer formed in the semiconductor by laser radiation with quantum energy approximately equal to the bandgap width. Using a disk of high-purity silicon irradiated by a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser, a 180° phase switching in a 30-GHz wave beam has been studied. At a low microwave power level, the wave phase was effectively switched during a time on the order of several nanoseconds.