An optical switch for high temperature superconducting microwave band reject resonators

A method for optically switching High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) band reject resonators is presented. Fast low loss switching of HTS filter elements enables digital selection of arbitrary passbands and stop-bands. Patterned pieces of GaAs or silicon are used in the manufacture of the two terminal photoconductive switches. Fiber optic cabling is used to transfer the optical energy from an LED to the switch. The fiber optic cable minimizes the thermal loading of the filter package and de-couples the switch's power source from the RF circuit. This paper discusses the development and implementation of the optical switch and its integration into a switched filter and switched filter-bank. >