Optically switched resonant tunneling diodes

Abstract

The room-temperature photoinduced switching of an InGaAs/AlAs resonant-tunneling diode is demonstrated. When illuminated at an irradiance of greater than 20 W cm−2 using 1.3 μm radiation, the resonant-tunneling diode switches from a high-conductance to a low-conductance electrical state and exhibits a voltage swing of 600 mV. The switching characteristics are reversible and, in the absence of light, the detector returns to its original high conductance operating state. Small-signal optical measurements performed with the device biased prior to resonance demonstrate a 3 dB bandwidth of ∼1.5 GHz.