Picosecond Joule heating in photoconductive switch electrodes

Bjorn Vermeersch, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University
Gilles Pernot, University of California - Santa Cruz
Hong Lu, University of California - Santa Barbara
Je-Hyeong Bahk, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University
Art Gossard, University of California - Santa Barbara
Ali Shakouri, University of California - Santa Cruz, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

Abstract

We present experimental observations of picosecond Joule heating inside the gold metallization of ErAs:GaAs photoconductive switches. Femtosecond laser time-domain thermoreflectance is employed to resolve the fast thermal dynamics in the central switch electrode during generation and transmission of rf electrical pulses. Sharp features in the thermoreflectance signal scaling quadratically with the bias/pulse voltage reveal Joule heating with durations

Discipline(s)

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology