Optically controlled phase adjustment for electrical signals

Claim 2

In combination, a body of semiconductor material which is responsive to the application of an electric field for nucleating electric field domains and propagating said domains through said body at a velocity much greater than the speed of sound, in the direction of said field, and in a predetermined phase relationship with respect to said field, means applying said electric field to said body, and means illuminating a part of said body at which said domains are nucleated and with at least a predetermined threshold energy density which is sufficient to shift the phase of said domains.

Claim 3

In combination, a body of semiconductor material in which conduction by carriers can take place in two energy bands that are energetically separated, the carrier concentration and mobility in the lower energy band in the absence of electric fields being much higher than the carrier concentration and mobility in the upper energy band, the carriers being shiftable to said upper band by an applied electric field, means applying an electric field to said body to shift carriers to said upper energy band for establishing, in the absence of illumination, traveling domains of high electric field intensity within said body and which travel in the direction of said field, and means illuminating a part of said body at which said domains are nucleated with at least a predetermined threshold energy density which is sufficient to switch the phase of nucleation of said domains at said part from a first substantially uniform phase for densities below said threshold to a second substantially uniform phase for densities above said threshold.

Claim 4

In combination, a body of semiconductor material in which conduction by carriers can take place in two energy bands that are energetically separated, the carrier concentration and mobility in the lower energy band in the absence of electric fields being much higher than the carrier concentration and mobility in the upper energy band, the carriers being shiftable to said upper band by an applied electric field, means applying an electric field to said body to shift carriers to said upper energy band for establishing, in the absence of illumination, traveling domains of high electric field intensity within said body and which travel in the direction of said field, and means illuminating a part of said body at which said domains are nucleated with at least a predetermined threshold energy density which is sufficient to switch the phase of nucleation of said domains at said part from a first substantially uniform phase for densities below said threshold to a second substantially uniform phase for densities above said threshold.

Claim 5

In combination, a body of semiconductor material which is responsive to the application of an electric field for nucleating electric field domains and propagating said domains through said body at a velocity much greater than the speed of sound, in the direction of said field, to produce coherent oscillations in a predetermined phase relationship with respect to said field, means applying said electric field to said body, and means illuminating a part of said body at which said domains are nucleated and in synchronism with the application of said electric field to cooperate with said field for altering the phase, at substantially no change in frequency, of the nucleation of said domains.

Claim 6

In combination, a body of semiconductor material which is responsive to the application of an electric field for nucleating electric field domains and propagating said domains through said body at a velocity much greater than the speed of sound, in the direction of said field, to produce coherent oscillations in a predetermined phase relationship with respect to said field, means applying said electric field to said body, and means illuminating a part of said body at which said domains are nucleated and in synchronism with the application of said electric field to cooperate with said field for altering the phase, at substantially no change in frequency, of the nucleation of said domains.

Claim 7

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said illuminating means comprises means applying a beam of electromagnetic energy containing energy in the absorption frequency band of said body.

Claim 8

The combination in accordance with claim 4 in which said part of said body upon which said beam of electromagnetic energy impinges has a diameter which is much less than any external dimension of said body.

Claim 9

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said body has width and height dimensions of similar magnitude, both of which are much larger than the length dimension of said body, and said electric field is applied along said length dimension.

Claim 10

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said illuminating means includes means initiating the illumination at a time which precedes and overlaps a time at which said electric field attains a threshold for nucleation of said domains.

Claim 11

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which means are provided to indicate the presence of said domains in said body.

Claim 12

The combination in accordance with claim 8 in which said indicating means comprises an optical delay line and an electro-optical modulator for coupling a train of light pulses to said delay line, and said illuminating means comprises an optical system coupling the output of said delay line to said part of said body for shifting the phase of said domains into time synchronism with said light pulses at said modulator.

Claim 13

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said material is N-type gallium arsenide, and said illuminating means applies an illumination intensity on said part of said body of at least 103 watts per square centimeter.

Claim 14

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said material has an illumination intensity threshold such that operation of said illuminating means at intensities in a range below said threshold at said part causes said domains to have said predetermined phase relationship but operation at intensities in a range above said threshold causes said domains to have a second phase relationship with respect to said field, said domains occurring at approximately the same frequency in both of said ranges, and means actuating said illuminating means to operate in different selectable ones of said intensity ranges.

Claim 15

The combination in accordance with claim 5 in which said material is N-type gallium arsenide, said material has an illumination intensity threshold such that operation of said illuminating means at intensities in a range below said threshold at said part causes said domains to have said predetermined phase relationship but operation at intensitiEs in a range above said threshold causes said domains to have a second more advanced phase relationship with respect to said field, said domains occurring at approximately the same frequency in both of said ranges, and means actuating said illuminating means to operate in different selectable ones of said intensity ranges.