An equivalent circuit model for microwave-biased extrinsic photoconductors∗

An equivalent circuit model for microwave-biased extrinsic photoconductors is introduced. Theoretical performance results calculated from the model are compared to experimental values of a microwave-biased mercury-doped germanium photoconductor operating at high background photon irradiance levels. The comparison indicates that the equivalent circuit model is adequate to describe the performance of microwave-biased extrinsic photoconductors. Experimental and theoretical results indicate that microwave-biased extrinsic photoconductors are high gain (G ∼10 ⁴) devices with a simultaneous submicrosecond speed of response.