Photo-devices for optical controlling of microwave circuits

The most important optical devices which can be used for controlling microwave circuits will be presented in the paper. The performance and the parameters of the devices such as semiconductor microwave optoelectronic switches, photodiodes and phototransistors were described. The influence of the optical illumination on their microwave parameters will be described in details, including the our own investigations and simulations results. Several applications of such devices and their potential possibilities will be presented.