Investigation of three-terminal voltage-controlled switching devices prepared by molecular beam epitaxy

Three-terminal GaAs switching devices prepared by molecular beam epitaxy using p⁺-n^--δ(p⁺)-n^--n⁺ structures are fabricated. The effects of the third-electrode position and the possible voltage-controlled operation on the device performance are discussed. Concepts are proposed to obtain new and improved voltage-controlled properties. The internal barrier of one proposed structure can be modulated directly and is found to be effective for the studied structures. The position of the third-electrode is found to affect the electrical properties profoundly due to different dominant mechanisms. Comparisions are made by defining a control efficiency. Due to the idea of varying the gate position, a conceptual understanding of such a set of results would enhance our understanding of the physics of bulk barrier devices in general.