10 kV β-Ga2O3 Sub-Bandgap Triggered Impurity Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches (i-PCSSs): Lessons for Optimal Design
Abstract
β-Ga2O3 photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) are attractive for high-voltage operation, but above-bandgap triggering requires deep-ultraviolet excitation. Here, we investigate a 650-um-thick, 0.01% Fe-doped β-Ga2O3 impurity PCSS with a 5-mm lateral gap under continuous-wave (CW) 808-nm sub-bandgap excitation at biases up to 10 kV ( 20 kV cm^-1). The device exhibited clear sub-bandgap photoconductive switching. As the optical power density increased from 0.64 to 3.18 W cm^-2, the ON-state current increased progressively while the ON-state resistance decreased, consistent with enhanced defect-assisted photocarrier generation. A higher applied bias further strengthened the switching response through enhanced field-assisted carrier transport. The ON/OFF ratio increases with optical power density but exhibits a nonmonotonic bias dependence, reaching approximately 15-16 near 5-7 kV. At 10 kV, increased OFF-state conduction and non-ideal transient behavior reduce the switching contrast. These results demonstrate near-infrared photoconductive switching but also highlight critical trade-offs in photoconductive thresholds for impurity states.
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BibTeX
@misc{rahaman2026βga2o3,
title = {{10 kV $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ Sub-Bandgap Triggered Impurity Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches (i-PCSSs): Lessons for Optimal Design}},
author = {Imteaz Rahaman and Hunter Ellis and Afrouz Taherian and Seyedeh Shadi Mirmohammadi and Botong Li and Berardi Sensale Rodriguez and Michael A. Scarpulla and Kai Fu},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.41049},
eprint = {2610.41049},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.41049},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - 10 kV β-Ga_2O_3 Sub-Bandgap Triggered Impurity Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches (i-PCSSs): Lessons for Optimal Design
AU - Imteaz Rahaman
AU - Hunter Ellis
AU - Afrouz Taherian
AU - Seyedeh Shadi Mirmohammadi
AU - Botong Li
AU - Berardi Sensale Rodriguez
AU - Michael A. Scarpulla
AU - Kai Fu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.41049
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.41049
AB - β-Ga_2O_3 photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) are attractive for high-voltage operation, but above-bandgap triggering requires deep-ultraviolet excitation. Here, we investigate a 650-um-thick, 0.01% Fe-doped β-Ga_2O_3 impurity PCSS with a 5-mm lateral gap under continuous-wave (CW) 808-nm sub-bandgap excitation at biases up to 10 kV ( 20 kV cm^-1). The device exhibited clear sub-bandgap photoconductive switching. As the optical power density increased from 0.64 to 3.18 W cm^-2, the ON-state current increased progressively while the ON-state resistance decreased, consistent with enhanced defect-assisted photocarrier generation. A higher applied bias further strengthened the switching response through enhanced field-assisted carrier transport. The ON/OFF ratio increases with optical power density but exhibits a nonmonotonic bias dependence, reaching approximately 15-16 near 5-7 kV. At 10 kV, increased OFF-state conduction and non-ideal transient behavior reduce the switching contrast. These results demonstrate near-infrared photoconductive switching but also highlight critical trade-offs in photoconductive thresholds for impurity states.
ER -