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US 4,303,831 AGranted
Optically triggered linear bilateral switch
AssigneeBell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated
InventorMahmoud A. El Hamamsy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bilateral switch uses a single photodiode array connected to the gate electrode of a voltage controlled device such as a field effect transistor or an antiparallel connected gated diode switch pair and, through appropriate diodes, to the drain and source electrodes of the field effect transistor or to the anode and cathode of the gated diode switch to control the current through the voltage controlled device. The photodiode array is optically coupled to a light-emitting diode located in an electrical input circuit.
Claims8
An optically triggered bilateral switch comprising:
- a voltage controlled device, said voltage controlled device having source, gate, and drain electrodes;
- a light source;
- a first diode connected to said source electrode;
- a second diode connected to said drain electrode;
- and means for controlling the current through said voltage controlled device, said means being optically coupled to said light source and producing a voltage when illuminated that controls said current through said voltage controlled device, characterized in that said means for controlling comprises a series connected photodiode array connected to said gate electrode and to said first and second diodes.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.