Optical switching of HTS band reject resonators

A method for optically switching HTS (High Temperature Superconducting) band reject resonators is presented. Fast low loss switching of HTS filter elements enable digital selecting of arbitrary pass bands and stopbands. Each switch element must preserve the high Q of the HTS filter element in one switch state, and remove the HTS filter element without adding loss in the other state. Patterned pieces of GaAs are used as the switch. Fiber optic cabling is used to bring the optical energy to the cryogenic package. This minimizes the thermal loading of the filter package. Cryogenic switching of a single resonator is discussed, as well as integration of the switching method to entire filters and banks of fibers. Measured and modeled data are compared.<>