Realizing the potential of photoconductive switching for HPM applications

Jeffrey A. Oicles; Jon R. Grant; Michael H. Herman

doi:10.1117/12.218555

8 September 1995 Realizing the potential of photoconductive switching for HPM applications

Jeffrey A. Oicles, Jon R. Grant, Michael H. Herman

Proceedings Volume 2557, Intense Microwave Pulses III; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.218555
Event: SPIE's 1995 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1995, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Recent system developments that take advantage of avalanche-mode photoconductive switching have led to major breakthroughs in high power microwave (HPM) generator performance. The best example is the GEM 2 demonstrator system developed for the Air Force. The delivered system, using over 800 BASS^TM photoconductive switches arrayed in 72 identical modules firing with 10-psec accuracy, produces 1 GW of peak power and an effective radiated power of over 100 GW. We are now looking beyond GEM 2 at continuing major improvements. The simplicity and flexibility of modular designs, such as GEM 2, facilitates new configurations and encourages timely inclusion of additional innovations. Concepts under consideration range from miniaturized generators, taking full advantage of the solid-state approach, to generator arrays considerably larger than GEM 2. Power conditioning and antenna sizes dominate present systems. Optical triggering subsystems based on semiconductor lasers, though relatively small, are still much larger than the corresponding BASS-based microwave generators. Work underway is aimed at these limitations. Several candidate solid- state switching approaches for pulse charging, for example, offer many additional benefits to the optical trigger subsystem.

Citation Download Citation

Jeffrey A. Oicles, Jon R. Grant, and Michael H. Herman "Realizing the potential of photoconductive switching for HPM applications", Proc. SPIE 2557, Intense Microwave Pulses III, (8 September 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.218555

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