Title :
A fiber-optically triggered avalanche transistor
Author :
Baker, R. Jacob ; Perryman, Gregory T. ; Watts, Phillip W.
Author_Institution :
E.G. & G. Energy Measurements, Las Vegas, NV, USA
fDate :
6/1/1991 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A silicon bipolar transistor operating in the avalanche region was optically triggered into secondary breakdown. This transistor has been given the name fiber-optically triggered avalanche transistor (FOTAT). The FOTAT acts as an optical power discriminator. That is, secondary breakdown occurs when the triggering optical power exceeds the triggering threshold of the FOTAT. This secondary breakdown is seen as a negative resistance between the collector and emitter. High voltage (>100 V) nanosecond transition duration pulses are generated using this negative resistance
Keywords :
bipolar transistors; electric breakdown of solids; fibre optics; pulse generators; 100 V; Si bipolar transistor; fiber-optically triggered avalanche transistor; nanosecond transition; negative resistance; optical power discriminator; pulse generator; secondary breakdown; triggering threshold; Circuit testing; Electric breakdown; Fiber nonlinear optics; Instruments; Jitter; Nonlinear optics; Optical fibers; Optical pulse generation; Packaging; Stimulated emission;
Journal_Title :
Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on
