High speed optoelectronic switch

An optoelectronic switch comprising:

• a. a semi-insulating indium phosphide substrate disposed between two planar conducting surfaces;
• b. one of said planar conducting surfaces having a non-conducting space providing a non-conductive gap on said surface and which upon being illuminated by photons a photogenerated plasma forms a conducting path across the gap thereby completing an electrical circuit.

In an optoelectronic switch having a semi-insulating substrate intermediate two planar electrically conductive layers one of which has a space therein providing an electrically non-conductive gap with edges:

• the improvement comprising an electrically conductive, at least partially optically transparent, planar layer disposed in said gap in contact with both edges of said gap but not extending completely across said gap.

A dual frequency optoelectronic switch comprising:

• a first device having a semi-insulating substrate intermediate first and second electrically conductive strips the first of said strips having a non-conducting gap;
• a second device with a semi-insulating layer intermediate first and second electrically conductive strips the first of said strips having a non-conductive gap and the second of said strips being common with the second strip of said first device;
• said first and second devices being disposed adjacent one another so that the nonconducting gaps are in registry.

An optoelectronic switch comprising first and second electrically conductive planar strips, the first said strip interrupted by a non-conductive gap, said strips being mounted in parallel on a semi-insulating substrate;

• the improvement comprising the first conductive strip formed by a pair of circuitous electrically conductive paths, said paths not short-circuiting by means of a circuitous non-conductive gap formed therebetween.